I know it’s a common thing to say as you get older, but this year (+ this month especially) seems to be flying by.

Between things happening here, things happening in my personal life and just the general state of the world… August went by in a blink.

It started off in full summertime mode, where I just felt like I was grasping tight to summer with no intention of letting go. But, this week in particular had me looking to autumn to grasp its hand… and in the process, I loosened my tight hold onto summer. I have a feeling that by the time mid-September comes along, I’ll have let go completely.

Funny how the seasons always offer new insights to us with each year passing.

Anyhow, here’s what brought me joy this month.

#1: The Thursday Murder Club

Probably a bit unexpected to be the #1 for Joy + Tell, but I’ve been waiting for weeks this movie to come out… and it did not disappoint.

I mean Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley and Celia Imrie—how could it not?!

I’ve always been a bit of a anglophile (and more recently a francophile, but I digress), so the fact this is set in England amidst all it’s charm and all that classic British humor, this movie checked it all.

Cannot suggest it enough.

Now, onto read the book.

#2: Plant You

I’ve been whole foods plant-based (WFPB) for almost five years, and this summer was the first time I really started to feel burnt out a bit with it.

It wasn’t that I imagined going back to eating dairy and meat, but it was just a feeling of boredom.

I had fallen into eating a rotation of pretty much three things because they were easy to make. However, I could feel myself growing rather tired of the lack of diversity in my diet—physically and mentally.

Well, along came Carleigh Bodrug and her Plantyou books/website.

She offers tons and tons of great recipes that are plant-based and truly delicious. I keep saying every time I make something of hers, “This is so good!” She’s not failed me yet with a recipe.

I’ve become such a fan, I signed up for her Plant You Planner app for laying out my meals each week.

Her recipes not only aim for consuming high amounts of different types of plants (it has really increased the number of plants I’m eating a week!), but she is also extremely conscious of food waste. As a result, Carleigh provides you with a detailed shopping list (think 3 bell peppers, 2 onions, etc.), so at the end of the week you have a pretty much empty fridge with little food going to waste.

If you are plant-based, or simply just adding more plants into your diet, I cannot recommend her work enough.

*P.S. This is not sponsored, I’m just a HUGE fan!

#3: Substack

This was the summer I fell in love with Substack.

After being introduced to it by family members, I am now sold on it.

It’s such a great space: the vibes are great, the content is spectacular, and it just feels different from other “social media”.

Some of my favorite Substack newsletters to read right now are: Living Danishly with Helen Russell, Life with Marianna, Megan Clouse: The Sea Gaucho, My Life in the Past with Lucy Worsley, and A year in the Cotswolds.

There seems to be something for everyone over there, and I hope you find it as magical of a wonderland as I do.

#4: Classic Feels

In addition to Substack, this has also been the season where my heart fell head over heels for classical music. I honestly can’t remember the last time I listened to music on Spotify with lyrics for longer than 5 minutes. It’s been weeks. My Spotify end-of-the-year favorites will be very interesting this year I have a feeling.

One such classical mood I’ve been enjoying recently is Ophelia Wilde’s “patiently waiting for life to feel like this..” playlist. It’s all about those late summer little longings for the autumn days ahead.

If you are still loving these sunshine covered and peach sticky summertime days, I’ve also been loving her “ethereal summer” playlist.

Both are great to have on from morning to night.

#5: Slow Evening Walks

This past week has found me absolutely loving slow evening walks. I’m talking when the sun is starting to set and we get those glorious late summer golden hours with its shadows. There’s just nothing quite like it.

I’ll usually plug into a podcast, do a walking meditation or listen to (you guessed it) classical music during them. Other times, I’ll simply walk around without anything in my ears besides the sounds of nature all around me.

It has become one of my favorite parts of my day that I genuinely wake up excited about. Plus, I can feel my nervous system thanking me, too.

I hope August was everything and more for you. Here’s to September!

Photo by Rhamely on Unsplash