Joy in July
Let's slow down time
The days are long, the years are short.
We heard this phrase a lot from other well-meaning parents when the kids were little.
They weren’t wrong. Caring for babies—especially two at the same time—could make a single day feel like it lasted forever!
Now, the opposite feels true: the days are short, and the years are even shorter. Time has a way of quietly slipping through our fingers and toes.
It makes me realize how important it is to live intentionally if we don’t want to feel like we’re missing out on our own lives.
Over the years, I’ve discovered a few ways to stretch time. Planks and wall sits certainly do the trick—one minute can feel like an eternity when you’re holding one of those.
Thankfully, I’ve found gentler ways too.
Meditating for more than five minutes? That makes time slow way down.
Writing letters by hand, like the old days, is another good one.
More creatively, the year before I turned 40, I challenged myself to take one photograph every day for an entire year. It gave me a reason to pause, to notice, and to find something worth remembering in the ordinary moments. At the end of those 365 days, I turned the photos into a book—a fun reminder of a year when I intentionally paid attention to at least one moment every single day.
It’s been a while since I’ve done something like that.
Since today is July 1st, I’m feeling called back to that simple practice of slowing down time. I’m starting Joy in July.
Each day, I’ll share one photo on Instagram—a small moment that made me smile, pause, laugh, or simply appreciate being alive. Nothing elaborate. Just a glimpse of something that brought me joy that day.
I may even throw in a little poem to some of them if words want to join the party.
My hope is that this project helps me slow down, even if only for a moment each day. Maybe it will do the same for someone else.
Thirty-one days of noticing small moments of joy.
Maybe you’d like to join me?
If 31 days feels like a big commitment, don’t worry—you don’t have to do it every day. You don’t even have to take pictures.
🤍 Maybe you write one sentence in your journal each day.
🤍 Maybe you practice daily gratitude.
🤍 Maybe you simply close your eyes and take three intentional breaths.
🤍 Yes, you can do planks — you will slow down time while you strengthen your core and patience!
Whatever your practice looks like, let’s slow down time in July together.
Your time matters.
Your life is happening now.
With love,
xoxo,
Dr. Kit