That End-of-Summer Feeling (aka The August Panic)

by Lisa Vivian

"What if we didn't wait for the next summer break, or Friday, or 5pm to bring some sweet and nourishing parts of summertime into every day?"

-Johanna @wonderled.life

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I swear, every year I say it: "Summer is winding down..." and somehow, it still sneaks up on me like a toddler with a popsicle—quiet at first, then suddenly chaotic.

Here in Pennsylvania, school is starting back up, and even though I’ve been bracing for it, I’m still hit with that mid-August panic. You know the one—where you realize there are only 10 days left and suddenly you’re scrambling to cram an entire summer’s worth of memories into a week and a half.

It’s irrational. I know we’ve done plenty of fun things this summer. We even made a bucket list! Let’s review, shall we?

  • ✅ County fair

  • ✅ Kayak the Clarion River

  • ✅ Watch fireworks

  • ✅ Amusement park... twice!

See? We’ve had some amazing moments. But still, I get this wave of guilt, like maybe we didn’t soak it in enough… or worse, that we stole summer from our kids a bit this year by opening our new Scoop Shoppe. (Because running a small business in the summer is super chill, right?)

I know it’s not true. I know they had fun. But the mom guilt? She’s sneaky. She whispers, “Did we do enough?” “Was it magical?” “Why didn’t you take them on a cross-country RV trip while simultaneously teaching them to surf and speak French?” 🙄

But then I came across this sweet quote online:

"What if we didn't wait for the next summer break, or Friday, or 5pm to bring some sweet and nourishing parts of summertime into every day?"

And it made me pause. What if we did hold onto the spirit of summer a little longer? Not the heat or the sunscreen-in-your-eyes part—but the slow evenings, the impromptu gelato treat, the laughing-around-the-firepit kind of moments.

What if we brought those little joys into September, and even into (gasp) November?

So here’s my gentle reminder to myself (and maybe to you too): Summer doesn’t have to be over. Maybe it just changes shape.

And if all else fails, there’s always ice cream (err, gelato)!

Speaking of gelato: look at this list:

  • Brookie (Jesse asked if I meant the trout: DUH): homemade brownies + our own chocolate chip cookie dough = yum.
  • Peanut butter marshmallow: fluffernutter fans, rejoice! Real marshmallow cream is blended into our peanut butter base with little hints of marshmallow.
  • Pistachio cannoli: it's savory and sweet! We blended ricotta and salted pistachios into our gelato base and finish with mini chocolate chips and pieces of our own broken waffle cones.
  • Fresh peach: peach season is here!
  • Coffee toffee: it's back! Coffee gelato, caramel swirl, pieces of Heath toffee.
  • Creme anglaise: classic vanilla bean.

 

It's a good week to stop by for some gelato and celebrate some summer in the past (unofficial) weekend!

Links + finds from the week:

 

Have the best weekend! 

We're so glad you're here,

Lisa

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