Tomorrow, the new school year starts in my corner of the woods. With it, comes the predictable change in routines. Waking early, packing lunches, the morning mania and the eventual quiet that is cherished. This summer has been unusual in many ways. We started the end of school with a trip to the beach that included my siblings and their families.
Then, the election news from India broke that gave me cause for hope. Just when I thought we had settled into endless days of work, kdrama and, walking around the house, I got to watch the somewhat final cut of the documentary on our family that has been years in the making.
Watching our family on screen for an hour and half gave me all kinds of feelings. It took me a couple of weeks to process what it meant. Just as I imagined the little film going places, we got hit with the SCOTUS presidential immunity ruling and I felt the air sucker punched out of me. Then, the avalanche of information on Project 2025 hit me and I drowned trying to make sense of what was happening around me. As an aside, here is a great resource that helps you find how the Project 2025 will impact things that you love and care about.
Just like that, one Sunday evening, Biden dropped out and Harris was the de-facto Dem nominee. Joy crept into my life again. I found my brat summer and indulged in the deluge of memes over all of my social media. We capped July off with a visit to Portland to spend time with my daughters’ other mother. The standout memory from that trip for me will be a visit to a Korean karaoke (noraebang) place with all of us singing and dancing in a semi dark, disco lit room.
August crept in and, with it a visit to the Blackstar film festival to support a Real Talkies production Amma’s Pride. It was an incredible experience and a sneak peek into what it would look like when the documentary on our lives hits the screens.
Then, Walz got picked as the VP nominee and I finally reveled in rooting for average, normal families vying for the Presidency.
When I was not sharing political memes on social media, I was cooking with my oldest daughter, making hakka noodles and mac and cheese. This summer, I let go fully and completely of how my kids spent their time. I gave them autonomy over their devices and became a teen in my head. We shared reels on Instagram and on TikTok. Our love language was the phone. I longed for the walks from the previous summers but gracefully met my kids where they were.
If there is one thing I will take away from this summer, it is how insignificant we are in the grand scheme of things. Sometimes, living in the moment means just that, living like today is the last day. Strangely, it is freeing and joyous.