A Moment to Pause
What a weekend at Newport Jazz Fest taught me to about taking August off
This past weekend, my husband and I attended the Newport Jazz Festival, an annual tradition that we’ve been able to maintain for over 17+ years of being together. It’s our one child free weekend of the year! (shoutout to my family who steps in to watch my kids).
Between the beautiful blue skies, the sounds of the ocean, the music drifting from one artist’s set to another, for a moment I felt like I was able to escape the stress of life.
Not worrying about work, not worrying about my parents, not tuning into the news or doomscrolling, just present in the beauty of watching artists from across all backgrounds and ages perform music that transcends the soul.
My husband is a die-hard jazz music fan. He introduced me to jazz early in our relationship. And if you’ve ever been around jazz enthusiasts, there’s a certain vibe about them that just exudes joy, love and peace. This weekend, I realized how much I needed to be surrounded by that energy and to have an intentional moment to be present and away from the noise of life.
So as we roll into August, the last full month of summer before fall and back to school and chaos begins, I’ve been thinking hard about how I want to spend my time. Not just big vacations, but the day to day too. I want to spend more time outdoors, longer walks, more family time, slower weekends.
Which brings me to this, I’m taking Candidly Midlife off for the month of August. No new essays, just me, trying to live what I keep writing about instead of writing about it.
I’ll be back in September with new stories, and some exciting updates. Until then, I hope you find your own version of my Newport Jazz Festival weekend, whatever it is that allows you to be fully present.
I’ll leave you with this, a clip from one of my favorite sets at the festival. The artist is Nate Smith.
See you in September!
Enjoy!