Wave No. 7
Our Intention
The Wave is a step away from the constant flow of content we take in on a daily basis, where things are often saved and rarely returned to.
Revisit this journal during the next few weeks to get inspired, slow down, and take action to create your vibrant life.
Monthly Mantra
“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”
~Confucius
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I thought back to the summer days when I read books just for fun, not with the hope of finding the next step to unlock my higher self. I further replayed how I enjoyed my summer growing up.
I would lose track of time building “cakes” out of South Carolina sand at my imaginary beach bakery, kicking around the gullies at low tide, and walking with my head just inches off the sand in search of shark teeth.
I drew, doodled, and knotted bracelet after bracelet for my enjoyment and to gift to friends and family - not to make a profit.
My sisters and I aimlessly biked, scootered, and skipped around the neighborhood until we were called in to set the dinner table.
I would wander around singing when nobody was home, but thinking I was the next Carrie Underwood or Taylor Swift in her Fearless era.
None of these activities were complex, yet I felt free, limitless, and content. There was no pressure to be anything or to produce anything. There was no social media to scroll and compare my summer or lifestyle to everyone else’s, and feel like I need to “step it up.” It was about spending time in ways I found pleasure, nothing deeper.
So here I am, learning from my younger self, and slowly untangling the knots of complication I create that just do not need to be there. I am realizing that everything I do does not and should not be justified with a deeper meaning or large agenda. Sometimes I can read a novel just because I enjoy where it transports me. I can go to the beach with a curious mind and leave the podcast behind. Free time and self-improvement time are not synonymous and can exist harmoniously. With this notion, I am trying to reprogram and get back to simplifying moments in life, when it is meant to be just that: simple and free.
With love,
CarlyCo-Founder // Coventina and Co.
Journal Prompt:
Close your eyes and replay your week in your mind. Notice if you recognize any patterns of overcomplication.
If so, spend the next week paying attention to that thing and slowly try to bring yourself back to simplicity in that area.
The best part of summer, in my opinion, is the produce. As we have become accustomed to enjoying tasteless seasonal produce from the grocery store all year long, the summer is the chance to reset your produce palette. You can pick a tomato from your garden or the farmer’s market and say, “Wow! So that’s what it’s supposed to taste like!”
These recipes honor the beauty of fresh, ripe, seasonal fruits and veggies. So, while the last few weeks of beautiful summer produce last, enjoy these simple preparations to let that garden shine!
Heirlooms and
Herby Butter Toast
designed as anytime bite // serves 4
I was thrilled when our friend gifted us some of the biggest and most beautiful heirloom tomatoes I have ever seen from her garden. While these tomatoes are so tasty they could be eaten like an apple, this simple toast is my favorite way to enjoy them. Paired with herby lemon butter and topped with Palm Beach Salt Co’s Flaky Lemon Salt, this recipe is the peak of summer snacking
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The Ingredients:
• ripe heirloom tomatoes
• 1 loaf sourdough (or your bread of choice)
• 1 stick of salted butter
• fresh mix of herbs (I used a few chives, a handful of thyme, and Italian parsley from our garden, which was about ⅓ cup all chopped together)
• 1 clove of garlic
• zest of one lemon
• Flaky sea salt (Palm Beach Salt Co’s Lemon Salt)
The Recipe:1. Place your stick of butter in a medium bowl a leave for about 10 mins to soften slightly.
2. Finley chop your herbs and add to the bowl with the butter, along with the lemon zest, and grate in one clove of garlic.
3. Using a fork or wooden spatula, mash the herb and butter mixture until incorporated. Shape back into a log or square, and place in the fridge to slightly firm up before serving.
4. Slice your bread and heirloom tomatoes into thick, hearty slices.
5. Using a grill or pan, toast bread ( tip use a little drizzle of olive oil to get nicely toasted bread or grill marks).
6. Assemble toasts and enjoy! I find this best to put everything on a large platter and let whoever you are sharing this meal with (even if it’s just you) to assemble at their leisure.
ENJOY.
Grilled Peaches, Pistachios,
and Cream
designed as a sweet ending // serves 4
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The Ingredients:
• 4 large, ripe peaches
• 3 Tbsp honey
• ¼ tsp cayenne or chili pepper
• 1 lime
• ¼ cup, shelled pistachios, chopped
• 1 pint vanilla ice cream (optional)
The Recipe:1. In a small bowl, add honey, cayenne pepper, and the zest of the lime. Squeeze in one half of the lime and mix together until combined. Set aside.
2. Slice peaches in half, removing the pit from the center.
3. Heat grill or a grill pan to high heat. When hot, place peaches cut side down onto the grill, and cook until nice grill marks are visible and peaches are soft and juicy. Flip to the other side as needed.
4. Immediately after the peaches are removed from the heat, brush half of the honey mixture over the peaches, and top with the chopped pistachios.
5. Serve each grilled peach with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, more pistachios, and a nice drizzle of lime honey.
ENJOY.
What We’re Loving:
In Our Glasses:
Figlia’s Fiore
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My older sister and I spent a week together last month and unwinded our evenings with this non-alcoholic aperitif she had bought. We enjoyed our Figlia Fiore with sparkling water and a squeeze + twist of lime. The rose + orange notes are simply delightful.
In The Kitchen:
Palm Beach Salt
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We love a flaky salt. We came across Palm Beach Salt at the Delray Beach Green Market a few months ago, and think it is incredibly cool they hand harvest sea salt right here in South Florida! We enjoyed four of their flavors and love adding them as the final touch to a dish. So far, Cate’s favorite is the Lemon Salt and Carly’s is Pumphouse Coffee Salt.
Learn + Inspire:
Brief but Spectacular PBS Series
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A few weeks ago, an interview popped up on my Youtube with one of my favorite writers, Roxanne Gay. I realized this short interview was part of a longstanding series on PBS Newshour, which is a brief but spectacular take from well-known writers, poets, changemakers, and all sorts of incredible people, famous and not. These 2-3 minute videos are amazing, and I’ve become slightly obsessed with watching them. Each one offers a lesson, inspiration, or a new perspective. There are hundreds of these on the linked playlist. Watch and let us know if anything speaks to you!
Natural Connections:
Saving the Coral of the Keys
In case you couldn’t feel it, this summer has been brutally hot here in Florida. This week, a buoy station off the coast of the Florida Keys hit 101.1 degrees, which is the warmest ocean water ever recorded in the world. This long-standing heat has had a detrimental bleaching effect on the already-stressed coral in the Keys.
Coral bleaching occurs when the algae that live on the tissue of the coral dies, leaving the coral without a source of nutrients since algae and coral have a symbiotic relationship. The coral is left white and weakened.
Multiple organizations including NOAA and Mission: Iconic Reefs, University of Miami, and many other organizations have shifted their focus from restoration planting to now transporting nursery-grown coral to tanks at the Florida Institute of Oceanography’s Keys Marine Lab or to deeper ocean water in order to preserve it. However, The Coral Restoration Foundation reported that 100 percent of the coral at many of their Mission: Iconic Reef project’s restoration sites in the lower Keys have already been lost, particularly at Sombrero Reef and Looe Key Nursery. Elkhorn and Staghorn species of coral are specifically vulnerable at the moment because there are only about 300 unique individuals of Staghorn coral and 150 Elkhorn coral left in all of Florida.
The heat does not seem to be going anywhere in the upcoming months, which will highly determine the fate of Florida’s coral and beyond.
Your Natural Connection
Although it is obvious in many ways (aka feeling the heat, hearing about wildfires), it is still easy to ignore the problems occurring in our environment. Take a moment to discover what is happening in your region. Instead of spiraling into doom, which is easy to do, identify positive action-based organizations and people. Become educated on what steps they are taking to help the current environmental conditions, and consider how you can align yourself with them.
Sounds of Coventina: Bucket Hat
A short + simple mix featuring music by Kacey Musgraves, Tim Atlas, Goth Babe, Miley Cyrus …
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Coventina began with a spirit of creative collaboration. If you (or a friend) has a story, poem, photography, mindful movement to share - please get in touch. You do not need formal writing experience, and we assist in editing :)