Reclaiming Summer as a Practice of Care
As a child, summer meant everything. Sleeping in. Riding bikes with the crew. Neighborhood kickball tournaments right in the middle of Jackson Street, our laughter echoing off front porches. Walking to the Seashore, the local pool, where we’d spend hot days swimming, snacking, and making up games with kids from around the way. And always, a stop at the Penny Saver—a Black-owned corner store in my neighborhood—for Peach Faygo pop, a bag of Red Hot chips, and some Now and Laters to stretch the sweetness of the day just a little longer. We played hard, rested harder, and carried a kind of carefree magic in our bodies that made life feel full and light. I'm so grateful to have grown up in a Black neighborhood that gave me a sense of safety and a community that felt like family.
Recently, in a Highland container led by the brilliant Gabrielle Wyatt, one of my Highland sisters reflected on this exact feeling—that we used to go hard in the summer. We played, we rested, we lived. And by the time school rolled around, we were ready. Clear. Grounded. Renewed.
That idea hasn't left me. What if we brought that same summer energy into our lives as grown Black women?
We carry so much. The world doesn’t pause for our rest. But what if we made space, even small ones, for play, joy, and care? Not as a luxury, but as a practice. A radical, intentional act of self-preservation.
This summer, I’m exploring self-care rooted in play; unstructured time, laughter with friends, and joy for joy’s sake. I’m leaning into community, where I don’t have to explain my tiredness or shrink my joy. I’m returning to fun, like letting myself be a little silly, a little free. I even went to a park recently, swung on a swing set, and went down a slide. It felt good to reconnect with that younger part of me. I’m remembering what it feels like to be carefree, even while holding all that I carry. Even in the midst of everything happening in our world—so much of it painful and devastating—we cannot let them steal our joy.
What would it look like to give ourselves just a little of that this season?
At Exhale, we believe care isn’t only about quiet and stillness. It’s also about movement, joy, and being fully alive. This summer, may we all find ways, big or small, to go hard in our own way. To make space for that same energy we knew as kids. So we can return to our lives, our work, and our communities with clarity, wholeness, and a deeper connection to ourselves.
We deserve that.
Katara, Founder of Exhale
Reflection Prompt:
What did summer feel like for you as a child?
What moments of joy, freedom, or play stand out in your memory?
How might you bring even a small piece of that energy into your life this season?
Take a few minutes to journal, voice note, or simply sit with these questions. Your younger self may have something to share with you.
