Normally, we celebrate the summer months by traveling, meeting up with friends and family for bunches and BBQs, or planning special occasions like baby showers, weddings, and so on. But this summer is…different, to say the least.

As an introvert, I’ve been enjoying the last few months indoors but it’s starting to get to me as well. There’s only so many Netflix shows and virtual calls you can take before starting to miss human contact.

Personally, I’ve finally become less lazy and started working out, installed an extra closet shelf for extra storage (seriously a game changer!), cleaned my room, and tried out a few recipes here and there. My days are starting to be filled with little tasks and hobbies, which is better than continuously binge-watching shows (although I’m still doing that too lol). You could say that I went backwards in quarantine; when everyone was hitting an all-time high with productivity by cleaning, baking, and taking up new hobbies, I was a lazy potato. But I’ve finally peeled myself away from clicking next on another episode of my shows, haha.

Some might say we’ve lost this summer to the coronavirus. Honestly, I’ve never been a fan of summer because it tends to make me more sad than happy and I hate the heat, but I do have a lot of fond summer memories as well. I remember days and nights spent at the beach or at concerts and afternoon brunches catching up with my favorite people.

Summer is my least favorite season, but it doesn’t mean I’m not feeling the effects of how different it’s been lately. Growing up, I spent my summers watching TV shows, doing summer assignments (remember those?), or swimming and hanging out at a friend’s house. When I got older and lived away from home in college, I went to music festivals, concerts, and clubs. We celebrated friends’ birthdays, visited museums, went hiking, tried new ice cream places, and went to amusement parks. Now all of these seem like distant memories…

I took these photos during a hangout with a friend that I met through Instagram. It’s hard to believe that these pictures are only from last summer; it feels like a lifetime ago. We had brunch and then did a photoshoot at a park.

OUTFIT DETAILS:
Top: Forever 21
Boyfriend jeans: Uniqlo
Sandals: DSW (Steve Madden)
Bag: Payless
Necklace: Francesca’s
Bracelet: Francesca’s
Earrings: Urban Outfitters

[Note: no new items; most recent purchases are at least a year old]

I miss when going out to eat meant putting the most effort into choosing a place and picking a cute outfit. I miss walking around new places and just enjoying the company of the person you’re with. I miss a lot of people and I want to meet them and make the most out of our time together. I also want to go to new places and take in the sights because I know now more than ever that life is short…but I also know we still shouldn’t leave our homes yet.

Whenever I watch the news or go on social media, I’ve been easily getting overwhelmed with emotions. There are so many issues coming to light and my heart wishes they could all be solved and that there was something I could do about it. But there’s only so much I can do as a single person. 

Justice needs to be brought for those who were wrongly accused and killed. Missing people should be found and brought back safe and sound. The many flaws in the education system need to be addressed. We should all come together and follow the rules that are supposed to keep more people from dying when it comes to this virus. 

But instead, many people are trying to turn a blind eye to these issues; they want to cover up events to keep the current system in place and refuse to listen to the news or believe in the headlines and numbers. For every voice that deserves to be heard and will continue to speak out for good causes, there are also those who will continue to speak out and support the bad sides. We say that we should do what we want and not care about what other people think, but what happens when people are literally doing what they want and not listening to the very things that could keep our community and country safe?

I have so many more things I want to say, but I’ll stop here for today. Don’t forget to wear your masks, keep social distancing and avoid meeting up with people, and keep fighting for justice against all the bad in this world. I’ll see you lovelies soon ?