Unlike previous months this year, and compared to most standards, my July was gloriously unproductive. I visited the States. I went swimming 14 days in a row. I worked some. I played some. I could feel the urge to do more in the back of my head. I tried my best to relax and go with the flow. It worked.

I spent the month coasting.

In Kevin Kelly’s recent collection, Excellent Advice for Living, there is this bit:

“If you aren’t falling down once in a while, you are just coasting.”

Well, maybe my lacklustre pursuits in personal and professional growth in the past month count as a “falling down” of sorts. Or, maybe, it was just what I needed.

See, I had a nagging injury that was impacting my running, but that seems to have gone away. I got to be in that lazy body high trance that is only possible when spending long durations in very hot temperatures (i.e. 40C/100F). I got (way) out of my normal routines.

I continued with my year of reading (I didn’t “finish” anything but picked up four new books). I neglected my writing and drawing habits but I spent more time socializing, playing games, and watching movies that I have probably all year.

So I’m counting July as a win, all-in-all, coasting or not.

After all, if you don’t take the time to coast once in a while, you might forget that life doesn’t have to be a constant struggle to do more or get better.

Instead of my usual week-by-week summary, here are a few photos from the month.

Coasting was good. Now I’m ready for August.✌️