Travel agencies, retreat holders, even my insurance company — my inbox is full lately with messages that all sound the same:
“Enjoy! Strive! Travel! Now is the time!”
And yes, I get it. It’s summer — the season of light and ease.
But the truth? I’m not there.
I’m somewhere tender. Raw.A separation. A shift. Something that still stings when I breathe too deeply.
And every new party invitation, every sun-soaked “this is your moment” email — instead of lifting me, it makes me feel… a little more out of sync.Like I’m failing at summer.Like I should be feeling something else.Like I’m letting everyone down — or just being too heavy — because I’m not radiating joy right now.
There’s a quiet kind of shame that creeps in when you don’t feel the way you’re “supposed” to feel.When you look around and everyone else seems to be laughing, glowing, sipping cocktails by the sea… and you’re just trying to make it through the day without falling apart.
Inadequacy. Loneliness.
So I just want to share what I am learning in these days.Maybe for me. Maybe for someone else reading this who’s feeling it too:
Pain, grief and healing don’t check the calendar.
Because even now — in the bright months — people are hurting.Hearts break. People get sick. Loved ones pass. Life asks hard things of us.
So if you’re not out there “making the most of it”…If you’re feeling tender, quiet, tired, or just not okay — You’re not doing this wrong.
Yes — it is summer.But you can live it in the way you need to right now.On your own terms. In your own tempo.
Let the warmth land where it can. Let the green of the trees rest your tired eyes. Be with your people — when it feels right, and for as long as your soft heart says yes.
Let the season hold you — not in the way it should, but in the way you are ready for.
If these words find you somewhere in the middle of your own ache —I hope they offer a breath of space.
A reminder that you’re not alone. And that there’s nothing wrong with your timing. You are not missing out.
You are actually getting closer… to you — by being and holding space for yourself.
Summer doesn’t need to be loud to be lived. And sometimes, just breathing through the day is enough.
With love, Vero
About the AuthorVero is a counselor with a background in person-centered therapy and body-based approaches. She holds space for deep emotional work in both individual sessions and Enlightenment Intensive retreats. Her work is rooted in lived experience and a quiet devotion to authenticity, softness, and human connection. Together with Peter Harper, she is a co-founder of the EI Association and co-creator of The Drunken Monk Conscious Living.
You can find more about Vero on her website and Instagram.
