I was scrolling Substack on June 30 and came across this post from Hannah Bay’s Substack, Midnight Crumbs, with 31 journaling prompts for July. I’ve never really used July as a time to reflect since I feel like I’m in peak summer mode, but it’s true that it is a mid-way point through the year, so I thought I would try it.
I feel like this year has been a whirlwind so far. I’m glad I make quarterly Instagram reels so I can get a 90-second reminder of where I’ve been.
July 1: If your 2026 so far had a handful of reviews, what would they say?
- “4/5 stars. There were so many delicious-looking meals, it made me hungry.”
- “5/5 stars. Her friend Kat was hilarious, wanted more of her”
- “4/5 stars. Life in Los Angeles looks like a dream, but not sure what the plot was”
- “3/5 stars. Half of it was fun, but she also spent a lot of time on her phone.”
Life has been pretty swell, but I feel like after I finished training for my half-marathon in early May, my discipline has been nonexistent, and I just don’t know what I’m working toward at the moment. Not that I have to be working toward something, but I think I function best when I am.
July 2: Imagine embarrassment wasn’t invited this month. What would your July self do?
I would make a YouTube channel. Embarrassment isn’t the only thing stopping myself from doing this, it’s also laziness because I don’t want to film and edit videos and have to watch myself back. I don’t want to be cringey, but I don’t think there’s a way to avoid that, and don’t want my co-workers to watch. I am not an influencer, but I just love creating content. I’ve had a blog since I was in high school (my true fans remember the old site) and didn’t know anything about anything.
Even though I complain about being on the corporate ladder, for me personally, I think it’s been important to have a traditional 9-5 job and understand how companies work. Influencing is definitely a real job, but I don’t think it’s something I’d ever try to pursue full-time, as I think that the best influencers put 90% of their lives online and have to spend ungodly amounts of time on their phones, while I am always grappling with how much I want to share online and trying to stay off my phone.
July 3: Name one small thing you’d love to do more slowly this summer
I think I’d like to take my mornings slower. I’ve gotten out of my morning routine and have been getting out of bed later then feeling rushed to leave the house before work. I’d like to wake up early, drink water, do my 5-Minute Journal, and have time to go for a walk or a run. Then shower and eat breakfast without feeling rushed and feeling like I’m forgetting something. All that before 8:30am. I’ve done it in the past, so I know I can do it, but it’s just a matter of making it happen.
July 4: Beneath all the noise, what kind of life do you think the current version of you is trying to lead?
I think I’m trying to live a more balanced, offline life. I know I can lead one, since I think I grew up with one. I was thinking about this recently and remembering how I’d read so many books as a child, and I was trying to figure out how I had all of this time to read. Instead of a 9-5 job, I had school taking up 35 hours a week and did sports, piano, clubs, and Girl Scouts. I had time to sit on the couch and watch at least an hour of tv every day. I didn’t have to write out my weekend plans and bullet out my schedule in my Notes app to figure out how I’m going to fit in meal prep, social plans, and exercise. I didn’t feel burned out from being a kid. Or maybe I’m just mis-remembering and looking at the past with rose-colored glasses. @Mom, let me know.
But how come I can’t seem to sit still and find time to read now? Is it because I have to cook and clean for myself? More than likely, it’s because my phone is eating up a couple of hours a day, and I hate that for myself. I was recently reading this other Substack post (again on Midnight Crumbs) entitled the difference between living a life and having proof of one, and I don’t want to go down this rabbit hole right now, but it’s occupied a corner of my brain over the past couple of weeks. My dad recently deleted all social media from his phone, but I don’t know if I can commit to that. My friend Trisha got a Brick to make social media harder to access. My phone addiction is real, so I’m going to keep thinking on this.
July 5: What would a more impulsive version of you say yes to this month?
A couple of days ago, my boyfriend said he may be going to Tampa for work in a couple of weeks and that I could come with him, and I pretty much immediately said no, as I always do to spontaneous plans. I am not an impulsive traveler or person in general. Spontaneity? Never heard of her. Florida in the summer just sounds awfully humid, and I thought flights would be expensive (I checked, they are). I would just spend the whole day working from a hotel, so it just didn’t sound appealing to me. In an alternate universe, I could’ve said yes just for the sake of traveling somewhere new. And I think the issue here is that he could have said somewhere perfectly lovely this time of year, and I still would have said no with only 2 weeks’ notice. I fear I skipped over what was supposed to be the “young and fun” period of my life, and now it’s too late. Ok I know it’s never too late and I’m still pretty young, but I just don’t see myself becoming carefree any time soon. But maybe I’ll surprise myself and all of y’all one day.
July 6: What’s one thing you want to do simply because it would make a good memory this summer?
Berry picking! My boyfriend has never done it, so I put it on my summer bucket list. Underwood Family Farms in Somis (Ventura County, north of LA) has u-pick raspberries and blackberries this summer, so we’re trying to go this month. Growing up in Bellevue, there were several blueberry fields within 20mins of my house, and even better ones out in Carnation or near Snoqualmie. Blueberry season is in July back home. My mom used to get paid to pick berries when she was a child, and when we’d she’d take us to the farm, my mom would fill a big bucket, while Sarah and I only picked a couple of pounds each. We’d eat a bunch as well and alert each other when we found bushes with giant berries as big as marbles. During COVID, my mom and I picked strawberries and blueberries, and that’s the last time I went berry picking.
July 7: If you treated your life like it mattered more, what would you do differently this week?
Oof. The first thing that came to mind was quit my job. I truly believe I am meant to do more than B2B advertising and generate shareholder value, ya know? There must be something more, and in these moments I tell myself there is a God and He has a plan for me. I want to help people and make a difference in people’s lives. I think it would be fun to be a teacher and work with children. Maybe 2nd grade so they’re not smarter or taller than me yet. I’ve been so lucky to have great parents, but not everyone has stability at home, and I know I could really make an impact as a teacher. Or, I could work in a senior living community, like the one that one of my grandmas lives in. I think being a program director would be right up my alley and put my planning skills to good use. Unfortunately, I know that I realistically can’t make these career pivots while sustaining my current lifestyle of artisanal ice cream and European summers, so I think I need to just try to volunteer more.
