Last month, it was scaling a mountain and taking in the view.

This month, it was diving off a yacht somewhere in the Mediterranean for a swim.

I could feel the cool (but quite wonderful!) water, sense the cotton texture of grabbing a fresh beach towel, and see my friends’ laughing and having a wonderful time on board.

In the background, all I could hear was music which felt like a good time. I’m talking songs which feel like summertime.

This is the playlist that came forth when I put that picture to music.

Hope you enjoy this exalted playlist!

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His inspiration? A set of seasonal sonnets.

It remains unclear who exactly wrote these sonnets, but there are some guesses that Vivaldi himself might have taken the pen to paper!

Quite literally, the score for Vivaldi’s Four Seasons is putting music to the words. Vivaldi included notations to indicate where in the composition the sonnet’s phrases were being depicted.

Each one as unique as the season itself, Summer’s sonnet (or “L’Estate”) goes:

In a harsh season burned by the sun,
man and flock languish, and the pine tree is scorched;
the cuckoo unleashes its voice, and soon
we hear the songs of the turtle-dove and the goldfinch.

Sweet Zephyr blows, but Boreas suddenly
opens a dispute with his neighbor;
and the shepherd laments his fate,
for he fears a fierce squall is coming.

His weary limbs are robbed of rest
by his fear of fierce thunder and lightning
and by the furious swarm of flies and blowflies.

Alas, his fears are only too real:
the sky fills with thunder and lightning,
and hailstones hew off the heads of proud cornstalks.

What strikes you most about this sonnet?

For me, it’s how much disaster and gloom it brings with it.

Words like “hailstones,” “robbed of rest,” and “harsh season” all grace their presence throughout the sonnet… and they sure aren’t the first words I think of when I think of summer.

Yet, listening to the Four Seasons’s Summer , you do indeed hear this. There’s a sense of trepidation, a foreboding, while also a sense of liveliness and bounciness.

Perhaps that is part of summer; it’s a season of highs and lows.

Of experiencing the celebrations, long days, and vacations, while also balancing it with the downsides it brings, too: droughts, heat waves, and a feeling of missing the routine the rest of the year brings. Plus, a knowing this will not last. Summer will shift to autumn, winter, and spring before coming around once more.

This season is teaching us a lesson here, about holding space for two things to be true at once. This season of summer might not look exactly how you wish it to be, but it can still be lovely. Like any season, it isn’t perfect.

There’s a joy in living this way. Knowing that nothing will ever be wholeheartedly perfect, but that doesn’t mean we can’t love the moment all the same.

So, let’s celebrate July, knowing it will bring with it highs and lows. We can still honor and exalt it for what it is: the true height of summertime.

Here’s the Ever Diaries for July.

P.S. As always, guess what place I’m dreaming of visiting this month based on the pictures in this post. I’ll let you know where it is in the sign-off!

Sources: https://baroque.boston/vivaldi-four-seasons, https://www.riphil.org/blog/the-story-behind-vivaldi-s-the-four-seasons

Once Upon a July

Once upon a time, there was a Roman General named Julius Caesar. After fighting many a war, he announced himself dictator for life.

As the man in charge of the Roman Republic, he overhauled Roman government and society, including creating a whole new calendar system named after himself.

The previous Roman calendar was lunisolar—a fancy way of saying it relied on lunar cycles as well as solar ones. Sounds complicated, yes? Yet it did a decent job staying aligned with the seasons when used correctly, something a purely lunar calendar struggles with and can quickly fall off from.

Julius scrapped the lunar aspect of the Roman calendar and moved solely toward a solar one. Gathering his most trusted mathematicians and philosophers, he had them create a new system to better match the length of a year. The agreed-upon calendar mixed the “old Roman months, the fixed length of the Egyptian calendar, and the 365+1⁄4 days of Greek astronomy,” and was henceforth named the Julian calendar (Wikipedia, Julian calendar).

What did this look like? A twelve-month year with a day added about every four years to account for that ~1/4th of the sun’s year. Sound familiar? This system was later adjusted into today’s Gregorian calendar starting in the year 1582.

After Julius’ assassination in 44 BC, the month of July (his birth month) was renamed for him. Some 2000-plus years later—and another calendar change!— his legacy still remains.

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_calendar, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Caesar, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunisolar_calendar, https://www.history.com/articles/july-month-history-facts

Worth a Revisit This Month

July, in Seven Words

1.) Exhilarating: Taking a splash into a cool body of water—how exhilarating!

2.) Thriving: Peak summer, endless days, and a garden that's starting to thrive!

3.) Humid: That humidity sure lets you know it's here to visit for a bit.

4.) Glowing: The sun really casts itself upon every inch of our world this time of year, doesn't it?

5.) Festive: Whether it's celebrating a holiday, a birthday, or simply summertime… it's festive this month.

6.) Ripe: Real summer produce starts this month; I'm dreaming about some homegrown tomatoes!

7.) Drowsy: Between activities, being outside for hours on end, vacations, packed schedules, and the simple dog days of summer, this month makes you want to take a nap!

July, Written in the Stars

July 6th: The Earth will reach the furthest point from the sun. This only happens twice a year!

July 14th: New Moon in the sign of Cancer.

July 29th: Full Moon—called the Buck Moon this month.

Notes of July

Flowers on the counter: Hydrangeas

Tunes on Repeat: Country

Currently Watching: Tucci in Italy

Book Dog-eared: Julie and Julia

Farmer’s Market: Tomatoes & Basil

Not sure if it’s this heat wave we are in as I write this, but I am dreaming and longing to be in the temperate fjords of Norway this month!

Vi sees, Claire

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS, MEANING I GET A COMMISSION IF YOU DECIDE TO MAKE A PURCHASE THROUGH MY LINKS. These posts/resources are also not a substitute for medical/professional advice. Please seek professional help if you feel you or someone you know needs it.

Alas, somehow, June is really over for this year. On the one hand, part of me feels a mixture of nostalgia in saying such a thing. May and June bring some of my favorite moments and weather of the year, and to inch toward midsummer already makes me feel a wee bit sentimental.

On the other hand, July and August always symbolize the epitome of summertime for me. I picture sailboats, bonfires, bathing suits, an abundance in the garden, and sunshine when I think of those two months. There is still much to look forward to this summer as the calendar turns to July tomorrow.

Before it does, let’s take a moment to reflect on the joy June brought with it.

Here’s this month’s joy & tell.

1. Last Meals

I’m no stranger to shows like Hot Ones, and I do enjoy an occasional YouTube binge of shows depicting another side of celebrities. Oftentimes we only see quick little bursts of the famous, and it can feel very superficial. Shows like Hot Ones have really bridged that much-needed gap, capturing the more human side of the people who grace our screens.

I stumbled upon another series in that same vein called Last Meals. As the name implies, the show has celebrities eating their last meal with the host while getting deep with the questions. It’s a fascinating watch… if there’s a celebrity you really love, you may end up learning more about their life than you ever expected.

A few I’ve enjoyed (or have on my to-watch list):

• José Andrés Eats His Last Meal

• Alton Brown Eats His Last Meal (this one was really deep!)

• Gordon Ramsay Eats His Last Meal

• Jason Kelce Eats His Last Meal

• Sean Evans Eats His Last Meal (two worlds collide!)

It does make you wonder — what would your last meal be? I’m still working on my full list, but so far it includes hand-cut french fries, Spanish vegetable paella, the chocolate peanut butter cake from my favorite restaurant, chocolate chip waffles, sticky toffee pudding, and some kind of soup.

2. A New Jane Austen Classic?

I love Jane Austen. Full stop.

Her stories have stood the test of time, and I truly adore being able to watch the adaptations and build my own list of favorites. If you’re curious, my top two are Pride and Prejudice (2005) and Emma (BBC 2009).

Imagine the thrill, then, of seeing the newest trailer for an adaptation of Sense and Sensibility coming out later this year! I’m still trying to nail down my favorite version of this novel—maybe it’ll be this one? I’ll find out come autumn.

3. Letter Writer

If you’re a Jane Austen fan, you’ll know how much of an impact letter writing has on the stories. It’s what moves a good portion of the plot forward in stories like Pride and Prejudice, and it even culminates in the best letter ever written, in Persuasion.

When was the last time you wrote a letter? Not a thank-you note, but a real, honest letter to someone?

It had been years for me…I realized this month.

While I’m still in the midst of completing Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way 12-week program, this past week had me embarking on a reading deprivation exercise, where I wasn’t allowed to read books for the week, or otherwise had to decrease my media consumption. It’s meant to stretch you… and stretch me it did!

It was in the desperation of wanting to distract myself with a book that I reached for some paper and a pen to write a dear friend of mine a letter.

Much like a character of Jane’s, I found myself writing about the little details of my day and my life as of late. And in doing so, it brought to light how much I missed conversing this way with people.

So much time is spent catching up in short increments, or not wanting to bore someone with the mundane details of life. But in letter writing, you’re almost expected to talk about the littlest moments that make up your days.

If you find yourself longing to write a letter, I found this cute Pinterest pin about things to include, too!

4. Stephen Colbert… and Arthur?

Growing up as a 90s/early 2000s kid, I have some of the fondest memories of rushing home to catch my favorite after-school TV shows.

One of them was Arthur. I can still remember how much I’d replay the library card song on my CD player in the car… I re-listened to it while writing this, and I can confirm it’s still a banger of a song.

This month, I came across this video of Stephen Colbert and crew redoing the beloved theme song, and it brought such a smile to my face. It’s an oldie from early on in Stephen Colbert’s show, but a goodie.

5. Heat Wave, Anyone?

After watching our friends over in Europe suffer through a heat wave, we managed to have quite lovely temperatures over here across the pond… until this week.

I walked outside to water flowers this morning, and there was that feeling of being hit with a wall of heat as I stepped out of the AC.

As the garden center checkout cashier told me yesterday, “It’s going to be a beautiful week… to stay inside with the AC.”

While inside and on YouTube, I saw this channel called Gardener’s Guide, hosted by our friends over in the UK. It’s very wholesome and lovely.

A recent episode is all about gardening during a drought. It also takes you around Britain to look at gardens coping with the heat wave. How timely! If you’re missing the great outdoors because of this heat, check out their videos to bring a little gardening mood into your heart, from the comfort of an air-conditioned house.

There's a wrap on this month’s joy & tell? I’d love to know, what brought you joy this June?

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS, MEANING I GET A COMMISSION IF YOU DECIDE TO MAKE A PURCHASE THROUGH MY LINKS. These posts/resources are also not a substitute for medical/professional advice. Please seek professional help if you feel you or someone you know needs it.

June’s that month. After months of quiet in the winter and the energy returning in the spring, June is a pinnacle moment. A month of embracing the thriving. Taking a step back to congratulate yourself and others on finally making it to this moment.

When I picture listening to a soundtrack for this month, it is filled with songs which are soft yet also wild. It’s a feeling of being on top of a mountain and looking at the soft beauty of the Earth in front of you and realizing just how quietly wildly and stunning it truly is.

Here’s this month in a playlist.

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My steps were unhurried, the air fresh and the smells of sweet late-springtime grass crossed my nose.

The birds were singing their tunes. Providing the melody for the symphony of nature. The ribbets from the frogs would jump in occasionally to be the bass notes while little chirps from the insects on tree branches would pop in to add that sharp staccato accent.

As I was making this walk at my favorite most place, I realized…

This is what June is.

Here’s this month’s Ever Diaries.

P.S. If you’re new here, every month I post an Ever Diaries where I joyfully celebrate the month ahead. I always love to include a place I’m dreaming of in the newsletter, so take a peek at the pictures and see if you can guess where it is this month. I’ll let you know in the sign-off!

Once Upon a June.

June’s name comes from the Roman goddess of Juno. She was in charge of marriages and the wellness of women, in particular the married life of women. Tis no wonder this month is so rampant with weddings!

As history goes, Juno eventually became the figure sought by many for comfort, like a guardian angel for women, a picture of “the female principle of life,” (Britannica).

Back in the days of the Roman calendar, the year moved around the lunar cycles. Wintertime didn’t a have monthly names, and a good portion of the months of the year were simply named based on their order in the year. Sextilis, for example, was the name of the sixth month.

Ironically, this was not June.

With the “new year” falling more-so towards spring’s start in March, June would have only been the fourth month of the year.

Enter the complicated shifting of calendars through more “modern” history, and we now find ourselves with a Gregorian calendar marking June as the sixth month of our year.

Who knew June had such a history!

Sources: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Juno-Roman-goddess, https://www.almanac.com/how-did-months-get-their-names

Worth a Revisit This Month

Here’s some posts from the archive to check out this month:

June, In Six Words

Describing this sixth month, in six words.

1. Spectacular: it’s that spectactular late springtime/early summertime of the year.

2. Rosie: The first of the roses are blooming, and aren’t they just the sweetest?

3. Serenade: Step outside the chorus of birdsongs when you get a chance this time of year.

4. Endless: the days seem to last and linger this month. Our height of daylight.

5. Barefoot: Skipping the sandals—whenever you get the chance—in favor of barefeet.

6. Fragrant: the smells this time of the year are incredible from mown grass, to flowers in bloom, to the salty air of a trip to the seaside.

June, Written in the Stars

What’s on deck in astrology and astronomy this month?

Save the Date:

June 15th: Super New Moon in the sign of Gemini

June 15th: Look out for Mercury in the night sky!

June 21st: Summer Solstice

June 29th: Micro Full Moon —called the Strawberry Moon this month!

Notes of June:

Flowers on the counter: Roses (of course)

Tunes on repeat: Classical

Currently watching: Something’s Gotta Give

Book dog-eared: Eat, Pray, Love

Farmer’s market finds: Raspberries & mint

Thanks for reading this month’s Ever Diaries!

This June, I’m picturing a summertime in Greece! Ocean waves, sunshine and walks through Santorini.

Avtío, Claire

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS, MEANING I GET A COMMISSION IF YOU DECIDE TO MAKE A PURCHASE THROUGH MY LINKS. These posts/resources are also not a substitute for medical/professional advice. Please seek professional help if you feel you or someone you know needs it.

Perhaps it was (likely) because I spent the first part of the month traveling, or perhaps it was how Memorial Day fell super-duper early this year, or perchance it was just one of those months that felt like it moved very quickly.

No matter the answer, this May brought with it a new found love for lots of new and old things.

Here’s this month’s joy and tell.

1. The Marlow Murder Club

I’m no stranger to cozy mysteries. I adore them no matter the time of the year. This love equally transfers to the silver screen with cozy mystery series and movies. There is just nothing quite like curling up to watch one!

This month’s cozy mystery I loved was The Marlow Murder Club on PBS/ Masterpiece. Set in the quaint town of Marlow in the UK, this series follows three women at different points in their lives while they work together—and find meaning—in helping to solve a murder in their little town.

The story is intriguing, the setting is spectacular, and I am now I’m excited to read the book series!

2. The Artist’s Way

Per a suggestion from my therapist, I started The Artist’s Way this month, which is a 12 week program to help you excavate your creative artist within. I’m only into the first week, but I cannot even begin to say how much I am enjoying this book/program thus far.

3. Lucy Worsley

May I please have a smidge of the coolness that is Lucy Worsley?

A Brit by birth and a historian by passion, Lucy delves deep into British history over on PBS/BBC. Her shows cover people and places and events from the likes of Jane Austen to the British perspective of the American Revolution—which I highly suggest giving a watch for this year’s 250th birthday of the USA!

She’s also an author. I got her book, Jane Austen at Home, for Christmas last year, which I am excited to dive into this summertime as well.

4. Father Richard Rohr

I had a bad day this month. One where you just need to go to sleep and cross your fingers that some rest and a brand new day will bring forth some new goodness. I’m thankful to say it did. In the form of sunshine, a long walk with the birds singing, and listening to this podcast episode with Richard Rohr.

A Franciscan priest, Father Rohr joins Oprah’s Super Soul podcast to discuss all things living your truest self. Even though this episode is from 2015, it still rings true today… and isn’t that the greatest?

My favorite quote from the whole episode?

“God is a verb.”

5. For the Traveling Folks

If you know me, you’ll know my favorite thing to do is travel. To be able to go somewhere new, experience the sights, sounds and culture… there's truly nothing like it!

In preparing for an international trip this month, I realized there is something I greatly value when it comes to packing for trips…

Being as light as I can.

Wherever I can cut weight/ bulk, it is a gift when it comes to packing (and lugging your suitcase around.)

The trip I took this month was one occasion where I felt like I packed pretty darn well.

Here were some of the favorite things I did:

1. I bought washing machine detergent sheets. Like dryer sheets, but for the washing machine; they contain all the detergent you need. They are flat, weigh very little, and they allow me to not have to worry about carrying laundry detergent around (or buy some big bottle wherever I am) if I need to do a quick clothes wash.

2. I brought my Kindle. One of my favorite parts of my day is getting to settle down with a book. And knowing how bulky books can be and how much space and weight they carry with them, I made myself pack solely my Kindle for my entertainment reads this vacation, and it was so worth it.

3. I used a backpack purse for my personal item. I’ve been trying to figure out the solution for my carry-on and personal item for a few trips now. While I still am trying to nail down my ideal carry-on situation, I feel like I have figured out my personal item dilemma. I used to do a purse/tote. What I would find is it often made me have another thing on my shoulders to have to carry around and left my hands still somewhat limited in movement. When I am on a plane, I tend to use only a few things (especially on shorter flights): headphones, Kindle, and my phone. I also like to keep my camera in my personal item bag along with identification. Throw in some hand wipes, a couple of stain remover wipes and that is pretty much all I want or need in my personal item bag. Making the commitment to switch to a smaller backpack purse was just what I needed and has lightened up my personal item in many ways, physically and mentally.

4. I brought a travel journal. This might not sound so revolutionary, but as a new-to-journaling girl, I was debating on how to handle my journaling practice while abroad. Do I just pack my regular journal—it’s flat, isn’t it? Or do I just supplement with my Notes app on my phone — I could make that work, couldn’t I? While cleaning out my travel stuff before leaving, I found some old travel journals which I knew would just be what I needed. I still got to experience the good old-fashioned pen to paper method, but they were small and thin enough to not add extra weight and squeezed into my personal item backpack mentioned above so I could journal on the trip over the ocean.

Now, this isn’t’ to say I have it all figured out. I still tend to bring one too many shoes, and I can certainly cut back on everything I feel like I need to have in my carry-on bag. But, it does feel like I’m reaching the point where I am starting to learn what works and what doesn’t for me while I jet to my next adventure. I hope it might help you, too, figure out what is best for you.

That wraps up Joy & Tell for May! See you soon, June!

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS, MEANING I GET A COMMISSION IF YOU DECIDE TO MAKE A PURCHASE THROUGH MY LINKS. These posts/resources are also not a substitute for medical/professional advice. Please seek professional help if you feel you or someone you know needs it.

There’s just something about the month of May which casts a spell over me.

Like I was handed this love potion by the heavens and told to drink it.

And I fall head over heels in love with this month.

Its weather, its flowers, and its whole gist.

I simply adore it.

Here’s your Ever Diaries for May.

P.S. If you’re new here, every month I post an Ever Diaries where I joyfully celebrate the month ahead. I always love to include a place I’m dreaming of in the newsletter, so take a peek at the pictures and see if you can guess where it is this month. I’ll let you know in the sign-off!

Once Upon a May

May, unlike its predecessor April, has a much more straightforward name origin.

Back in the ancient Roman times, offerings were made to the goddess of fertility and growth, Maia, with hopes of her blessings upon the upcoming agricultural season. May was named after her.

During this time of year when we tend to plant seeds for our summer gardens and where the world quite literally feels like it is reborn outside our very windows, it's not hard to see why this month is named for Maia.

Source: https://www.history.com/articles/history-may-month

Worth a revisit this month:

May, in five words

A little snippet of words to describe this fifth month of the year.

1. Elegant: there’s this subtleness in May that knows it’s an elegant month.

2. Gentle: the breezes, the birdsongs, the moods

3. Feminine: dresses & sandals, sunsets & flowers

4. Tender: a wish for spring to linger on a little longer

5. Hopeful: for summer plans & longer days ahead.

Thanks for reading this month’s Ever Diaries!

This month, I can’t stop dreaming of the chateaux in the Loire Valley, Dordogne and the Nouvelle-Aquitaine regions in France!

À bientôt,
Claire

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS, MEANING I GET A COMMISSION IF YOU DECIDE TO MAKE A PURCHASE THROUGH MY LINKS. These posts/resources are also not a substitute for medical/professional advice. Please seek professional help if you feel you or someone you know needs it.

The whole world is the most delightful of greens.

Emeralds and olivine (if you don’t know this one… it really sums up this budding spring green perfectly) are abundant in what seems like every corner of this little part of the world I’m in.

It really reminds you of how all that snow, all that cold, and all that winter… led us to this moment.

When you walk outside to the chorus of birds serenading, the leaves making their grandest of appearances, and that daylight which just simply stretches more with each passing day.

This time of the year—it’s a joy in the truest of definitions.

Here’s what I loved this month.

1. A Stanley Tucci Love

There’s simply something about this man that I adore. I don’t know if it’s swagger, his effortless chic style or the fact that he travels across Italy to eat food —yes, pretty please!— but anything this man does immediately catches my attention.

With Devil Wears Prada 2 coming out next month and his newest season of Tucci in Italy, I am in full awe that the month of May will bless us twice with this amazing gentleman.

2. These Shoes Were Made for Traveling

After being introduced to Rothy’s a few years ago by a cousin, I have been sold.

They really are a shoe that can last for the ages!

With a trip booked next month for some warmer weather, I recently got this pair of Rothys in jasmine and wren.

And they might have just become my new favorites!

3. An Ode to Analog

The youths (as my dad used to call them!) have been talking more and more about this idea of living a more analog life in 2026.

And I can say wholeheartedly, I’m not surprised Gen Z and Gen Alpha are feeling like technology is overrunning their lives.

I feel incredibly blessed to be a later millennial where my childhood and early teen years were not so social media and technology based. Even when I got my first phone at 13, it didn’t have access to the internet. Social media consisted of Facebook (and then later on Instagram and Snapchat). Twitter was vaguely there in the background.

I feel sadness for the lost childhood memories of many young people, the time spent looking at a screen instead of being out in the world, exploring and discovering. For the teens who are glued to their phones and feel that insurmountable pressure to be “perfect” for social media.

It's a lot to deal with for any person, let alone the younger generations for whom this is all they know.

I’ll get off my pedestal now, but I’ll leave with this… Pinterests newest ad is wonderful at showing this idea of how we can have technology and live a more screen-free life at the same time. Plus, it makes you feel appreciative if you got to experience the magic of a non-social media world.

4. Aging Vibrantly

Stumbled upon this advert by Patagonia about being “too old not to.”

Really going to adopt this as my new affirmation, I’m too old not to do it!

5. She’s Got That Style

Ask my mother, and she will tell you, I spent the vast majority of my high school days in sweatshirts. Leggings were not a huge thing yet or I know they would have been part of my daily wardrobe choice, too.

With school starting at 7:40am, I never had the desire to really dress up. This has continued with me towards adulthood… I sure do love a comfy outfit!

These past few months, I have found myself breaking out and discovering a love for style. I still do love a day spent in my leggings and a t-shirt, but it has been so fun to start putting together outfits and really start narrowing down what my own style is.

I’ve been pinning it all to this Pinterest board if you’re wanting some inspiration as well!

There’s Joy & Tell for April. I’d love to know, what brought you joy this month?

Share Ever Joyfilled

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS, MEANING I GET A COMMISSION IF YOU DECIDE TO MAKE A PURCHASE THROUGH MY LINKS. These posts/resources are also not a substitute for medical/professional advice. Please seek professional help if you feel you or someone you know needs it.

As kids, it moves at the pace of molasses. Being told something was two weeks away felt like it might as well be ten years.

Then, sometime around when you start doing more taking care of yourself as an early adult, it seems to speed up to normal—whatever that means! At the age of thirty one now, I now feel like something being two weeks away comes within a quick blink of my eye.

Somewhere along the way, I heard someone say they have the belief that there is enough time because time moves slowly.

When I first started this space back in 2021, I recognized that affirmation down to my very bones. Those COVID years, as many can attest, was like we were back to being little children with each day was inching along like a worm.

Those messy months between 2020 and 2022 had this utmost strange timeline to them; we were all stuck indoors, travel was basically negligible, and so we really had not other choice than to live presently.

While we can’t make time slow down—oh, how I wish we could sometimes!—perhaps the secret to that belief system about time moving slowly is… if we are fully in each moment we are living, time does feel like it moves a bit slower in many ways.

These past five years with this space has really felt like that. While I wasn’t always the most present in my life (human over here!) I feel like I can say without exaggeration, this Ever Joyfilled space was like being in this beautiful little cocoon of time moving in the most wonderful of ways.

When I first started in 2021, I truly wanted to make it a space where I could share the things that were helping me find joy after hitting the roughest of patches in my life the prior year. I had hopes that maybe someone else feeling like I was could find some inspiration and desire to seek out joy when life is feeling hard.

When I started traveling again in 2022, I remember being so excited to share this new world, literally & figuratively, I was embarking to. And then, I started wanting to interview people in my life about what joy meant to them in 2023. Following that, in 2023/2024, I relished in focusing on the seasons of the year.

This space has been this lovely little spot where time feels kind, where I can take my time in evolving, where I feel like I am becoming more and more me with each passing day.

What a priceless gift these past five years have been.

I can’t wait to see what the next five bring.

My Favorites Over the Years:

Year 1.) Beyond Happiness: Unpacking the True Meaning of Joy and Why It Matters: My very first post. I was so scared to hit publish with it, but it still remains one of favorite posts ever simply because it it reminds me that to go after your dreams… you need to take that leap of faith— even when it’s scary.

Year 2.) How to Nurture Your Soul When the World Weighs Heavy: I’ll always smile when I think of this post. I was sitting in my Austin AirBnB after posting it wondering what I was doing (was the whole going after your dreams thing even worth it?) when I got a text from mom telling me how this post felt like I really was finding my voice in this whole blogging world. It was then that I realized… I felt the same. And, yeah, it is worth it.

Year 3.) How to Find Joy in Grief: Part 2- Global Perspectives on Death and Healing: I still look at this post with so much love. I wrote in memory of a dear family member who passed away, and it felt like it healed some of the grief in writing it for him. It has since changed my take on death and the grief it brings with it.

Year 4.) The Joyfilled People Series: Meet Shannon: This post felt extra special to me. I loved the interview format I started with it and getting to share the joy of one of my dearest friends, Shannon, with the world.

Year 5.) The Ever Diaries: Hello, April: Of all the things I have written over the years in this space, there is just something about the Ever Diaries which hold such a special place within my heart. Perhaps it was because—for many years—this was exclusively written for my email subscribers. It felt more authentic and personal writing it for that little community. When I switched over to Substack this year, I realized it was time to change and bring The Ever Diaries over to Substack, too. This post was the inaugural Ever Diaries here on Substack.

Thank you for coming along the journey with me. It means more than you’ll ever know.

Joyfully,

Claire

This is the month when it really feels like springtime is arriving. The flowers are dancing in blooms, the trees are swinging with new leaves, the fresh grass smells quite like heaven, and the people are out and about with that slightest of bounces in their steps once more.

Where I’m currently at in the Midwest, April also always brings a little last lingering farewell from winter days. Be it waking up with frost on the ground, snowflakes falling, or just some chillier days, April always reminds me of the phrase, “a long farewell” when it comes to winter’s last grip on us.

Perhaps that is why this month starts off with April Fool’s… it always tends to play one last trick on us!

Anyhow, this month, I find myself feeling thankful for the newness this time of the year always brings… a reminder of the season of spring and its eternal lesson of freshness once again.

Here’s your Ever Diaries for April.

P.S. If you’re new here, every month I post an Ever Diaries where I celebrate the month ahead with joy. I always love to include a place I’m dreaming of in the newsletter, so take a peek at the pictures and see if you can guess where it is this month. I’ll let you know in the sign-off!

A little conundrum of a month

Back in the Roman calendar days, April was the second month, following March which started off the new year. Quite the shift from the modern new year starting in the stillness and quietness of January.

The Roman king Numa Pompilius is credited for this change when he introduced January as the first month, yet evidence—interestingly— shows the movement of the new year to January did not occur for the Roman calendar until hundreds of years after Pompilius’ death. Julius Caesar made the transfer towards the Julian calendar system, keeping January 1st as the beginning of the year later in 46 BCE, but the date would get shifted between Christmas and March 25th within the Christian faith as history marched on.

The Gregorian calendar made further adjustments back in 1582 (after holidays kept changing due to the Julian Calendar neglecting to account for those pesky leap years!) to become the calendar we use presently. Amazingly, Great Britain and its American colonies were some of the later adopters to the new Gregorian calendar, taking until 1752 for them to do so and for them to start their years on January 1st.

So, alas, while springtime brings forth this unbridled and beautiful energy with it, it still comes three months into the start of the “official” new year. However, it is interesting to think about the idea how, a long time ago… we would just be kicking off the new year right about now.

When it comes to April, it’s still wonderful riddle is how it came to get its name. Some suggest perhaps ‘Aphrilis’ is in honor of the Greek God of Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love. While others feel April took its name from the Latin word 'Aprilis,' which could be traced to 'aperire,' meaning 'to open,' the true origin remains—as the saying goes—lost to history.

No matter how April came to be or why, within it’s thirty days, there’s this new year freshness to it, this month is one of beauty and a reminder of why its rainbow-kissed skies, emerald green grasses, and lusciously fragrant flowers are a true delight year upon year.

Sources: https://www.dictionary.com/articles/april

& https://www.britannica.com/story/why-does-the-new-year-start-on-january-1

Worth a revisit this month

April, in four words

A little snippet of words to describe this fourth month of the year.

1. Freshness: the air, the laundry, the atmosphere

2. Iridescent: rainbows which dance across the skies after a heavy April shower

3. Budding: the trees, the flowers, & new energy comes forth

4. Dawning: After a long winter’s tale, spring comes in bright like dawn… a reminder that the sun will always come again

That's a wrap for this month's Ever Diaries! In April, I dream about the love spell that is Provence, France. Someday, I'll get there!

Au revoir,
Claire

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A wonderful reminder of what’s to come as spring continues onwards.

This month really found me embracing a more sense of lightness and femininity. I’ve been loving these gentle days, prepping my meals with the music playing, and embracing a life with a bit less screens and more books.

Here’s my joy & tell for the month.

#1. The Parent Trap

My Pinterest algorithm has been showing me images from the movie, The Parent Trap (1998 version) lately, and I have been loving the nostalgia of it. With this internal shift towards more gentle… this movie really encompasses this. I watched it for the first time in a long time this month, and it has quickly risen to be one of my top favorite movies. Highly suggest a re-watch if you haven’t seen it in a while. It’s a light and fun reminder for when the world feels a little—or a lot—heavy.

#2. Oura Ring

This month, I decided to get myself an Oura Ring. Pondering on it for a few months now, I knew it was time when I just felt like my nervous system was hitting a wall. While I’m still in the new days of it… I can already say I’m a fan. It’s nice to be able to get the insights it provides without the need for a smart watch. After feeling like my nervous system needed some addressing, I knew, for myself, a gadget alerting me to texts, etc. was not what I personally needed. I love how the Oura Ring is beautiful in its design and goes with my other jewelry I wear.

#3. Flowers on the Counter

A habit I’ve picked up from my mom, I love having fresh flowers on the counter. It makes such a difference in brightening up the space—especially when you’ve had some cold and snowy days like we did this month! I love tying the seasonal feel to the flowers, too. Early March had me craving daffodils and tulips to give me this smallest bit of hope spring would arrive indeed. As we move towards April, I feel like I’m going to be drawn more towards the outdoors to see what I can pick from the yard.

As Miley Cyrus says, “I can buy myself flowers.”

#4. The Barefoot Contessa

Listened to this podcast episode of Good Hang with Amy Poehler this month with her special guest of Ina Garten. I forgot how much I adore her!

She just has this effortless coolness and classic-ness to her with is such a delight to hear.

I just started her memoir on audio, and it’s been amazing to see how Ina really made the lemonade out of lemons in her life. And probably the best lemonade ever knowing Ina.

#5. Real Letters

During the holidays, I decided to gift myself a subscription to The Flower Letters and for my birthday I got myself a subscription to Letters from Afar.

Both send you physical letters through the mail, and both are restoring my hope that not everything needs to be digitalized.

Keep the mail going!

And that’s Joy & Tell for this March. I’d love to know, what brought you joy this month?

Share Ever Joyfilled

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS, MEANING I GET A COMMISSION IF YOU DECIDE TO MAKE A PURCHASE THROUGH MY LINKS. These posts/resources are also not a substitute for medical/professional advice. Please seek professional help if you feel you or someone you know needs it.

This Women’s History Month, here’s a soundtrack to help you remember your innate power within.

Happy Women’s History Month to all the amazing women out there! Cheers!

#1: "I Have Confidence" from The Sound of Music

#2: I AM Woman. by TRÏBE

#3: "Don't Rain on My Parade" by Barbara Streisand

#4: "GIRL" by Maren Morris

#5: "Flowers" by Miley Cyrus

#6: "Defying Gravity" from Wicked

#7: "Wildflowers and Wild Horses" by Lainey Wilson

#8: "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman by Aretha Franklin

#9: "Love of My Life-ARKADI Remix" by Jennifer Lopez and Arakadi

#10: "Resilient" by Rising Appalachia

Cheers to Women’s History Month!

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS, MEANING I GET A COMMISSION IF YOU DECIDE TO MAKE A PURCHASE THROUGH MY LINKS. These posts/resources are also not a substitute for medical/professional advice. Please seek professional help if you feel you or someone you know needs it.

The month of spring… the month of relief.

Relief that, perhaps, winter is behind us (mostly), and we can allow ourselves to quietly say…

We made it.

Here’s your March in five senses.

What’s March in five senses to you?

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Here’s February’s Joy+Tell!

#1: A Refreshing Take on Aging

Barring any insane advancement, we are all going to continue aging. And aging is such a blessing. For me, I just feel like I come more and more into my own with each passing year.

I stumbled upon this beautiful podcast segment with Kate Winslet which puts what I’m trying to say into more eloquent words.

Favorite quote?

“You cannot control or dictate the opinions and attitudes of other people. All you can do is live your best life...”

#2: TRAITORS!

After watching Tara and Johnny during the Olympics, I found myself moving towards watching the show Traitors in which they are contestants. If you love playing the game mafia, this is a large scale version of it!

#3: A Wonderful World, Indeed

Also from watching figure skating in Italy, I was mesmerized by the performance of Ami Nakai who skated to “What a Wonderful World” by Lexi Walker and the Piano Guys. It’s such a stunning song to begin with, but this particular version really takes it another level.

#4: Hard Days

There’s been some hard stuff happening in my personal life these past few months, and I got the sweetest letter in the mail from one of my friends. She wrote: “It’s okay to have hard days. You are loved. You are human.”

Reminded me that if you know someone going through hard stuff, it makes such a difference to let them know it is okay, that you see them, and you love them.

#5: Little Things

Hanging on my bulletin board by my desk is a print-out of this Morgan Harper Nichols reminder to appreciate.

Brings a little smile to my face when I look at it and answer one of the questions.

What brought you joy this month?

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Our shortest month, and our last (full) month of wintertime has arrived in all its snowy glory—at least where I am!

Here is your February in five senses.

May all your February days be cozy!

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In all honesty, I love having a January birthday... I’ve never experienced those post-holiday blues quite as hard because I knew January brought celebrations. Truthfully, it feels like the Universe knew I needed a reason to love January, so it had me be born during it!

In celebration of my 31st, I made a list of 31 hopes I have for this next year of life. Most are vague (you’ll see I use the term ‘more’ a lot!), but I like it that way. I won’t hit them all out of the park, but I do dream and wish for me to grow in all these way over the next 365 days.

Here’s to 31!

1.) Play more.

2.) Laugh more.

3.) Rest more.

4.) Take at least six trips this year.

5.) Be creative—art, music, poetry, pottery, etc.

6.) Continue onwards with therapy.

7.) Meditate daily (or try my best to!)

8.) Journal daily (again...or try my best to!)

9.) Do a monthly vision board background for phone/computer

10.) Meet up with friends in real life more.

11.) Celebrate the big + little things.

12.) Read for fun more.

13.) Take photos just for the enjoyment of it.

14.) Set more boundaries.

15.) Love more.

16.) Listen better.

17.) Consistent strength training.

18.) Wear the clothing of my future self.

19.) Wake up earlier.

20.) Go to bed earlier.

21.) Speak my truth more.

22.) Go on more hikes.

23.) Allow my dreams to come true.

24.) Spend little time on screens.

25.) Use my drone more.

26.) Buy things for myself.

27.) Windows down, music up.

28.) Let go.

29.) Watch the sunrise and sunset more.

30.) Fall in love with life more deeply.

31.) Bask in the beauty of all of this.

This was a really fun experience to do on my birthday, and I can't wait to see what I'll write down for my 32nd next year!

Wishing you warmth and coziness this winter day!

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS, MEANING I GET A COMMISSION IF YOU DECIDE TO MAKE A PURCHASE THROUGH MY LINKS. These posts/resources are also not a substitute for medical/professional advice. Please seek professional help if you feel you or someone you know needs it.

Given the recent events of this month, I want to reshare this early little post I wrote back in the midst of COVID. It feels a bit extra fitting during this time.

Here it is.

Not to sound like a broken record-- but whew. Seriously whew.

What a year it has been.

From moments of pure “down in the dumps” to moments of...well...pure joy. We have covered the spectrum of emotions, haven’t we?

If there’s one emotion though that remains from the year, I truly hope it is joy.

We Can Feel Joy and Pain at the Same Time:

One of my favorite books, The Book of Joy, by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu (+ Douglas Abrams) truly opened my eyes to why we need to choose joy every single day.

Something that I love about the idea of joy is that it allows space for darkness.

“DISCOVERING JOY DOES NOT, I’M SORRY TO SAY […] SAVE US FROM THE INEVITABLE HARDSHIP AND HEARTBREAK. IN FACT, WE MAY CRY MORE EASILY, BUT WE WILL LAUGH MORE EASILY TOO. PERHAPS WE ARE JUST MORE ALIVE.” –THE BOOK OF JOY

Joy leaves room for the not so fun emotions to be felt. It allows for us to feel the pain that comes in life sometimes. But in feeling that pain, as The Book of Joy suggests, also enables us to experience life a little more.

Why It's a Good Thing to Feel Joy and Pain:

Memes, videos and skits are out there to add humor to just how crazy life feels sometimes. It can be filled with a lot of difficult stuff, heartbreak and emotions.

However, feeling--and choosing joy--means that we can feel that very pain.

If we aim for happiness, we would feel like we can’t feel this way...those not-so-fun feelings go against happiness.

But with joy... the not-so-fun emotions are part of living in joy.

Something that I have noticed since the COVID pandemic is how people seem to be more authentic.

More people are saying, “This year is hard”. More people are saying, “I’m tired of making it seem like I have it all together because I don’t!”. More people are deciding what really matters to them and changing their life to reflect that.

More people are just being real. And that’s a good thing.

In allowing ourselves to feel the pain that has comes in life sometimes, maybe we are allowing ourselves to feel a little more humanness. In doing so, perhaps we are feeling a deeper sense of joy underneath it all.

Let’s Be Real (+ Joyful!):

We don’t need to force ourselves to be happy. We can choose to be real and say, “This year has been hard” and we can grieve the opportunities, things and relationships that the time drastically has changed.

Instead of seeing that as not being optimistic or “seeing the glass half full”, we can take comfort that we are still aligned with joy.

Joy has room for pain. It has room for the hurt. Because when we feel that way, we’re being human and we’re being joyful.

WITH DEEP LOVE TO MINNEAPOLIS.

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS, MEANING I GET A COMMISSION IF YOU DECIDE TO MAKE A PURCHASE THROUGH MY LINKS. These posts/resources are also not a substitute for medical/professional advice. Please seek professional help if you feel you or someone you know needs it.

Fresh crisp air. Sights of snow flakes. Mugs full of steaming tea. Stunning sunsets.

These are just a few of my favorite things about this season—cueing Julie Andrews!

Here’s a winter to-do list.

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS, MEANING I GET A COMMISSION IF YOU DECIDE TO MAKE A PURCHASE THROUGH MY LINKS. These posts/resources are also not a substitute for medical/professional advice. Please seek professional help if you feel you or someone you know needs it.

While winter-post-holiday season- can often feel a little bland... there’s truly some bliss to be found.

Look towards the fresh new snow, the fresh new calendar year, and the joy that lies beneath it all.

Here’s 10 pins to help warm you up and get you in that blissful wintertime vibe!

1.) Winter Mornings

2.) Ski Trip Abroad

3.) Ski Trip Stateside

4.) A Heartwarming Valentine’s

5.) Wintertime Sun

6.) Winter’s Beauty

7.) Snowed In

8.) Capturing Winter

9.) Winter in the City

10.) A Scottish Wintertime

Check out more wintertime inspiration over on my Pinterest board!

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS, MEANING I GET A COMMISSION IF YOU DECIDE TO MAKE A PURCHASE THROUGH MY LINKS. These posts/resources are also not a substitute for medical/professional advice. Please seek professional help if you feel you or someone you know needs it.

While it can feel excessively long to some, I find January is all about embracing wintertime. Hygge and coziness is the name of the game for me when this month starts.

Here’s January in five senses.

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS, MEANING I GET A COMMISSION IF YOU DECIDE TO MAKE A PURCHASE THROUGH MY LINKS. These posts/resources are also not a substitute for medical/professional advice. Please seek professional help if you feel you or someone you know needs it.