Summer Break Challenge: Unplug, Slow Down, and Savor the Season
The Next Day…
A monthly column, by Gardenia Spiegel, explores timely themes through the lens of daily life, emotional resilience, and self-care.
I can’t believe that we are officially at the middle of 2025.
School is out, the heat is on, and things kind of feel....the same.
I remember when summer used to feel like a true pause, a moment to slow down and reset.
“There was an energy shift that let us know it was time to decelerate.”
Growing up in NYC, when those first days of warmth hit, and head bobbing music started wafting out of car windows, and the Mister Softee ice cream truck magically showed up on the corner, we knew summer was officially in the air.
There was an energy shift that let us know it was time to decelerate.
This year has felt like one big 50 yard dash. I miss feeling the break of summer break!
I get that adulting, motherhood, and life can shift everything- but let’s take something back for us!
The Summer BREAK Challenge 2025
I am challenging everyone to do one thing that is completely void of efficiency and practicality, and that involves not checking your phone, and only being in the sun, either at rest, or doing an activity, just for your joy.
Even if it’s just for an afternoon- it’s your afternoon! Let’s create our own summer break!
Send in a pic or blurb
Tell us about what you did on your summer break!
Email us at: chiedavis2@gmail.com and we will share some of our favs, with your permission!
Hope this helps you get to the next day. Happy Summer Break Everyone! ~g
The Next Day is a monthly column written by Gardenia Spiegel that explores timely, thought-provoking themes through the lens of daily life, emotional resilience, and self-care—especially for busy women and moms. Gardenia Spiegel is a mother, writer, and creator of Book Nook.
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