We keep thinking we’ve jumped in the lake one last time1, and yet we keep receiving these glorious summer days. This past weekend our family decided to soak up the last 80 degrees seen in the foreseeable forecast, and head to the beach.
The calm water must have inspired something in our children. They played peacefully our entire visit, graciously validating our quest to drive across the peninsula with three kids under 5.
There weren’t many other beach goers, but one woman approached me while nursing Alice. She’d been taking photos of the rocks, one of which James appeared in. She kindly asked if she could text it to me. You never know a stranger’s intentions while walking towards you with your shirt half off, so this was a welcome surprise!
While packing to leave, Dave very stereotypically dad-hauled our entire set-up on his back. Just when we were starting to lose steam on our party of 5 adventure, another Dad a decade or so ahead of us offered a generous “you’re doing great!”2 His kids were in college now and they had been watching us remembering the good ol’ days. A sweet reminder that these are the days.
After the beach, we obviously needed to indulge in some ice cream. We might not enjoy another melty cone until 2026?! We’ll take any excuse!
After eating, Dave took the big kids to the bathroom. I was sitting on a bench playing with Alice when a mom came up to me with her kids, warmly said “I’m an artist so I get to take your picture” and then snapped away before swapping numbers with me. A kismet meeting with another artist in the wild.
As my friend Anna told me, “it’s fun to see our own little worlds through the eyes of strangers.” And as a mom, I don’t think I’m alone in saying, photos of you with your kids - that you don’t have to ask for - are the very best gifts to receive. It says “I see you”, which really is all anyone wants, isn’t it?
All of these interactions offered a great spin on the “if you see something, say something” phrase. I think we could all use some more positive human interaction these days. I know Dave and I plan to pay it forward.
Now, was it the unexpected treat of August in October that prompted these random acts of kindness? I don’t think it hurt. I absolutely love fall in northern Michigan, but there’s no such thing as too many warm beach days.
On that note, I missed my annual release of an art calendar last year, but it’s back this year! Pre-orders will open this Thursday at 10 am est. If these summer moments can inspire a fraction of the warmth we witnessed on October 5th, I’ll consider it a success. Sharing a preview here:
I’ll send an email this Thursday with a link to order, along with more details. If you’re a retailer looking to place a wholesale order, please email hello@katherinecorden.com.
Here’s to spreading more warmth and kindness in the days ahead! Maybe it’s stopping to take that photo or share some encouraging words. It makes a bigger difference than you realize. Heck, it might lead to a newsletter sharing about it and hitting send to 3,000 people!
Not including you cold plunge aficionados, a club I’m not yet brave enough to join!
Please note the difference between “you’re doing great!” (Encouraging) vs. “soak it up, you’ll miss this one day!” (Patronizing. Especially if you’re solo parenting in Target, dripping in children.)
Okay, not to toot my own horn but I just did this for two moms and their kids at the aquarium today lol. It felt so good!!! I absolutely love it when strangers do this for me when I'm with my fam -- it's happened a couple times this past year with polaroids. ANGELS. And the photos of ya'll are beautiful. I hope at least one of them ends up in a frame!
I couldn't agree more with 2 (encouraging vs patronizing). I keep called these the 'bonus' summer days, it's been just a pleasure!