What American August Isn't - And what you can learn from French August

First of all, American August isn't a big holiday month, so August isn't focused toward any major holiday action.

American August isn't fall yet, but at this point, we're getting a little weary of heat, and we start dreaming of sweater weather. 

American August isn't for relaxing. Many schools come back into session and people are scrambling for back-to-school supplies and scheduling a myriad of activities.

American August doesn't tell us what to do. In fact, I feel like it's the same kind of void as between Christmas and New Years Eve: eating a lot of desserts (but at bbqs) and not knowing what day it is (15 more days before school starts perhaps).

Though everyone here came for the difficult Cathedral Rock trail, I took the Easy Breezy trail and it was glorious.

But for the French, they know exactly what August is. It's THE holiday month. Everyone leaves for vacation. August is a THING and everyone knows it.

I like that kind of cultural agreement. That kind of consensus that says, "We all need this break. We're all going to take a break. We deserve this break. I feel no guilt whatsoever. Bye."

I spent some time traveling with friends to Sedona AZ

Because "American Anyday" can become a race. A race to work, a race to get the kids to school, a race from one activity to another, or a race for success (though no one knows where that one ever ends), and this American Race doesn't stop for August.

I've now taken enough trips to Europe that sometimes I sit here and wonder, "Why can't we also have nice things?" I see Europeans with their high speed trains, wonderful bike paths, and August vacations, their focus on long meals with friends and choosing experiences over work. 

I do try to carve out as many European ideals as I can out of my American life. I do work very hard but I try to focus on quality time with friends. I do sometimes find myself rushing from one thing to the next but then I allow myself downtime, guilt-free. I've even decided that I won't buy coffee on-the-go, carrying it around like a grown-up-baby-bottle-caffeine-delivery-system, opting instead to drink it quietly on the couch in the morning with the windows open. 

French August has inspired me in many ways to really live this life instead of constantly running on a treadmill to nowhere. Everywhere you look, there are reminders that this life doesn't go on endlessly, you've got to savor the deliciousness of it while you can. Even this morning when I got a call that a friend had suddenly passed away, the first thing I thought was: I need to travel more. I will travel more. I will eat the things. I will make the friends. I will laugh. I will be uncomfortable and I will find comfort. I will make the journeys. Time is a finite path and I've already walked through a lot of it.

So I took a break. You may have noticed that in my online store, I've been out of stock of a lot of items for quite a while. This break was on purpose. I simply didn't place the order when I ran out. I needed to catch my breath and think about how I wanted to live. I needed to breathe and make some decisions on my own life ideals. It was my French August.

So I breathed.

I sat down.

I made less videos.

I did some cat-sitting.

I traveled with friends.

I ate the things.

I took the Easy Breezy trail.

No guilt.  No shame. 

I'm happy to report that I've now restocked and am ready to send out scarves for the next month, because it does fill me with joy, and I love that it helps women feel more beautiful, and also it will fund my next big travel adventure. I'm hoping that this post can be your gentle nudge to hug your friends, have a great meal together, ride some bikes, have adventures and laugh. My French August came in the spring. You don't need to wait until August to re-center yourself, but just in case you're an over-scheduler and never met a calendar you didn't like... August is right around the corner. 

hugs to you all

Oh and if you want to get those scarves before they sell out again click here

Here are some pics from my "August"