When Did Summer Stop Feeling Like Summer?

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Some weeks deserve a plan. This wasn't one of them.

This week we're talking about summer, the mental load that comes with it, why I suddenly miss having "admin days," and the conversations every mom seems to be having right now.

We also head north for marathon weekend, celebrate my dad's incredible Top 10 finish at 64 years old, and talk about the lesson I take away every single year from watching that race.

Because maybe life isn't about coming in first. Maybe it's about continuing to show up when nobody's watching.

And the people in 95th place deserve a little airtime too.

Thanks for being here. 🤍

Transcript

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Okay, snap one, two, three, here we go. Welcome back to Navigating Between the Lines, you guys. I'm Maggie File, your host. I usually come into this with a loose outline. Today, I have about six bullet points and a microphone. So we are gonna see what happens. I think I'm a little nervous. Are you nervous? I don't know. Where are we gonna go today? It's end of July. I'm ready for a full summer reflection, recap, conversation. If you've been following along in my real life or Instagram life, what I've been sharing, you know I've had no Wi-Fi for the last 10 days or so. For those of you subscribed on Subsack, thank you. It's a place where you're going to get a deeper thought, like a little bit inside my brain. What's going on in the week, or like yesterday, it was a letter from the library. And if you are wondering why I've been making such a big deal about Wi-Fi, well, same. I didn't realize how much of my life required it until I didn't have it. I like need it for everything. And I'm not sure, is it like my age, but doing everything on my phone feels a lot harder? Like I want to be at a computer to answer an email or editing anything is really hard unless it's like a quick reply. I think I was also surprised at how many emails I had coming in that I had to address that needed to be addressed. And then hello, the biggest thing I have going on is this podcast. I don't know if I've ever said this to you guys, but I actually like work a lot of hours on this, usually at night, like when the kids go to bed. And these summer hours are killing me because there are zero admin days. I am the full-time mom this summer. And while my kids' ages are quote easier, they still need to be busy during the day. I think one of the biggest recurring conversations that I'm having right now is that everybody is like running around from A to B to C all summer. It's to and from to camp drop offs and being in the car. It is really a full-time job. Like I like full respect on that. I think we can all have an honest moment about it. Like, when did summer stop feeling like summer? When the kids are little, it's like groundhogs day a little bit, but you know the schedule. You're going to the zoo. It's lunchtime. They take a nap, repeat. Now that they're older, and I know I'm not the only one that feels this way, but it's it's like a little bit harder. I've got William here with me today at the library, and I brought his scooter so we could like buzz down, maybe get like a smoothie or something while I'm recording. I was like, grab your scooter, grab your helmet. He's like, Mom, why do I need a helmet? So, of course, we go back and forth multiple times. And then I'm like, what am I doing wrong here? That you do not understand that just because you're on a sidewalk in like a small little town, you still need a helmet. Those are our rules. Also, he's 12. And I was like, Hello, where is the team camp? I know you don't want your kids on devices all day. And it's like maybe like a nine to three drop-off. You can pick your days, what you want, a place for like a little slip and slide, a bike trail, like a skate park, maybe. Actually, this is sounding like a really good idea, isn't it? Like a food truck, too. Every day a different one. Let me know your thoughts on this. Because every single mom I've talked to these last couple weeks is somewhere between I don't want summer to end and also I need a schedule back. I want to back up to the team camp because I really think I'm on to something. No phones allowed, bike trails, slip insides, food trucks. I'll invest. Let's let's do this. They are independent enough to entertain themselves right now. Until did anybody else notice that Prime video turned into YouTube, basically. So suddenly I'm wondering like, what exactly are you watching over there? I also realize that this little passion project of mine still needs time. The podcast, the newsletter, the things that make me feel like me outside of being a mom. I know you feel that too. I think that's something a lot of us are navigating right now. Because somewhere along the way, you realize that if you stop making time for the things that make you you, you will slowly disappear into everyone else's schedule. Oh, we were up north this last weekend, and of course, there's no responsibilities up there. And again, I'm reminded life isn't asking that much from me. I'm asking a lot from myself. Every single day, it's everything I put into my days here that make it that way. And can we give my dad just like a little shout out here? Now, Billy T, hello. It was Marathon weekend. And if you've been here for a while, you've listened to the Marathon podcast 103 teams this year. And you guys, he finished ninth. He is 64 years old. Sorry, dad, calling you out on your age. And he broke the record for the oldest guy to have a top 10 finish. I'm just like, you are amazing. I am in constant awe of that guy and also every other paddler. For the competitors who have finished before, it's also crazy because year after year, you just decide to show up and kick your own ass again from someone who's finished it twice in the back of the pack. I could barely walk the day after, and I still have a scar. I'm gonna like be honest with you guys. I still have a scar on like the top of my booty where my skin was rubbed raw from that canoe race. This happens, and you guys go, Oh yeah, can't wait to do it again next year. I just think you're really inspirational, all of you. Anyone who does something like that. Watching that race every year reminds me that consistency is a really boring word. Nobody gets excited about consistency, but I'm like using it in my daily language right now. So I'm annoyed by myself, but we get really excited about results. But results are just consistency that finally became visible. I should have better looked at the stats from the race, but I think there were 42 first-time finishers this year. And finishing that marathon is a huge accomplishment. And we look at the winners and the top teams with amazement. And I think we forget what got them there always. It's the year-long training and the times they didn't want to get up and go, but did. That's where marathons are won and finished. And this theme is in every single avenue of our life. The local radio station gives updates along the way during the race. And this year I caught it when they were like, we are going in the back of the race. And they talked about all the teams place 94th or something like that, and up. And I was like, hell yeah, let me turn this up. Good, because they deserve airtime too. We spend so much time celebrating first place or the winners in every sport and anything. And I want more stories about the people who simply refused to quit. It's definitely a perspective shift of, oh, that team placed 95th or whatever, or that team fucking finished a 120-mile race and it took them 18 hours and some minutes. Like they didn't quit, they didn't compare themselves, and they kept going. I just think like what an analogy for life. In the days that we feel like nothing is getting done, we are staying consistent to the path that we are on. Maybe today you just kept everyone alive. I don't know, but you kept showing up. That's all life really is. Showing up every day, and those days compile and you win. You will win every time with consistency. I asked you guys for some questions on Instagram, navigating between the lines. I needed help with this episode. So thank you. I got a few. Let's go through those. Number one, summer ending, school already around the corner. Where does the time go? Okay, well, I definitely spent the first part of this episode talking about how the time goes from running kids back and forth in the car and all that every day. But I actually don't feel like summer is almost over. I know, I know. School starts in four weeks, but four weeks. We have four weeks of summer left. And do you ever think about what seasons we create because of our memories? The canoe marathon is always the last full weekend in July. It's my birthday, the beginning of August. And I think for me, I always feel like right now summer is just getting started, like the real summer, the summer where everyone is sleeping, and every day there's no camps to get to. Slower mornings. We have not been to the zoo yet, and I really need to go. The summer bucket list that needs to be completed. August is perfect for that. And then September and October are some of my favorite months of the year. So I think we can say, like, ugh, we only have four weeks left. Like, I don't want it to end. Or we can say, we have four weeks left, one twelfth of the year. What are you gonna do with it? Next question best family vacation spot you've been to. I love this question so much. I also did a podcast on this. I will link it. Um, I can't remember the name of it, but to answer quickly, Siesta Key all day long. It's easy to get to. Ship delivers your groceries. You can get everything that you need. You can't beat the beach, and we've never had a bad time there. The food's always good, even when it's been chillier, because sometimes we've been there and it's been cold. I still love it every time. And then where would I go back tomorrow? Hawaii. All day. Let's go. Justin does not listen to this, but like we gotta get him back to go to Hawaii. I gotta get him to commit to that. Okay, last question. What emotions did you experience this year with the marathon? This is a really good question, and I do not want to get emotional. I do get emotional about my parents. I think we know that now. But like I just love my dad so much, and I think he's the coolest, really. It's really an incredible thing to watch someone do something for so many years in a row. This was his 41st start of that canoe race. And some of you aren't even that old. Like if you think about that. I've always been the most proud and always held the most respect for him. You appreciate your parents differently once you become the age that you remember them being. I'm the adult now. And he's raced this race for my whole life. I think I just have an even bigger wow component right now for who he is, for how he lives his life, talking about consistency. He's been doing this damn thing for longer than I've been alive too. And that's really cool and like the most inspiring. Thank you, Dad, for that. Legend. Legend. Anyway, I love that. I love him. I love you guys. And I think that's a wrap. You guys, I want to give you the reminder again and also laugh at myself. I did a golden ages episode at the beginning of summer. I still believe that, exhausted and all. The kids don't feel any of this, what we're feeling. Just remember that. And I know we are all doing an amazing job. Summer is not over. We hit this point where we're tired enough to start wishing it away. And I get it. But these are still the days our kids are going to remember. And these really are the days that we will miss too. Actually, Justin said that last night. And there's like 10 pairs of shoes, and like one had dirt all over it on the floor because like William was fishing. Obviously, his foot stepped into the lake. I don't know how, but you know that happens. So there's like the water and the dirt all over the floor. And Justin's like, oh, he's like, we're gonna miss this. And I'm like, no, we really are, because traditions happen in the ordinary moments. Always remember, you guys, we are all navigating something every day. Different seasons, different schedules, different worries. But I think it helps knowing that we're not doing it alone. So here's to finishing the summer without rushing through it. And until next time, subscribe, share it. You know the drill. Okay, bye.