Connecting Our Summer Stories
Lauren Cook, Founder
Austin Sunflowers in June
Summer is special. Even for those of us who work full-time, year-round. Even if you don’t travel. Even if you’re home with kids and it feels like more “work” than any other time of the year. Even with the stifling Texas heat.
Summer seems to crack open the idea of a little more space, a little wiggle room for fun or appreciation. In early summer, we are wowed by what’s blooming around us (in Austin, sunflowers!) and later on, many of us seek the pleasure of water, whether it be the local municipal pool or a beautiful natural river, lake, or ocean.
And then there’s travel (my favorite). Our family’s trip to Europe in late June felt like a mini summer sabbatical–a respite from our hectic home life. There were exciting moments that kept us captivated–baking bread with our German family, running from a lightning storm on a mountain hike, and climbing 313 steps to a stunning cathedral guard tower.
But the small, simple pleasures and moments between activities were some of the most impactful for me. A really good spoonful of ice cream. The breeze coming in through the open window. The feeling of uneven cobblestones beneath my feet as we walked without a firm destination. One of my favorite moments was watching my daughter go round and round on a classic carousel. She seems almost too old for it, yet we were enchanted by how magical a carousel ride can be. How freeing.
And as promised, I invite you to enjoy this semi-joke video I recorded for my sister in the Austrian Alps (Charlotte convinced me to share it on our COS Instagram). Just in case you were worried I was taking hiking too seriously.
Less than a month of summer remains before school starts again. I’m going to do my best to preserve a bit more summer wiggle room for fun and appreciation. For moments of noticing, for unplanned pleasures, and for some good spoonfuls of ice cream. They are worth it!
Lauren baking bread with her German “niece” Lena in the Black Forest