Each month, I trade in the usual format for something looser. A look back at what we read together, what I was personally into, and what life actually looked like on my end while I was writing to you.

I call it the Monthly Edit. Think of it as the issue where I stop being the editor and just talk to you.

Welcome to the August Edit!

It started on two wheels, biking across the Manhattan Bridge on a mission to find the best burger in Brooklyn. A few days later I traded the bridge for actual mountains, eight days in the Canadian Rockies with my girls. Almost 50 miles on foot and elevations that had me questioning every life choice on the way up, and even more of them on the way down.

I got home, unpacked exactly one bag, and went straight into tour guide mode for friends visiting the city of brotherly love. Turns out Philadelphia has been genuinely underrated this whole time and I just wasn't paying attention.

Somewhere between the mountains and the museums, I spent a lot of time thinking about what I actually want now that I'm 56 and an empty nester.

And leveling up in padel felt better than it probably should have.

Here's the best of Bloom. for the month.

Articles you clicked on most this month

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The Woman Who Thought She Had Everything.

At 30, she thought having it all meant a job, health insurance, and a fiancé. Thirty-five years later, she found out what actually counts. Read

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I See The Empty Nest From Both Sides.

There are two ways to experience an empty nest, and having lived through both, he still can't decide which one is harder. Read

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You Gotta Want The Ball.

Twenty years on the sideline, I heard the same four words yelled at every open kid. Turns out I'd stopped asking for things too, waiting on someone else to offer first. Read

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The Grief Iceberg.

She grieved her mother thirty five years ago and thought she understood grief. Losing her husband this year taught her she needed a whole new metaphor for it. Read

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I'm 50, Why Am I Obsessed With My 20s.

She caught herself watching a show about twenty somethings on a plane and couldn't stop. Turns out she's not the only woman her age stuck on her own younger years. Read

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Three couples, one long weekend, nowhere to be. I didn't realize how hungry I was for real conversation until nobody got up to leave the table .

Read

This website. Seriously. I've made at least 50 recipes from Pinch of Yum and every single one has been a winner. Their Chickpea Curry with Spinach and Rice has been on repeat for easy lunches, especially with a big scoop of chili crisp on top.

These shirts. Wore them every single day hiking the Canadian Rockies. Not heavy, but warm enough for whatever fall throws at you.

My big sister got me this for my birthday. She was always smarter than me. Still is. At this point I just do what she tells me.

That's the whole ask.

There's something in it for you too.

Details below.

Questions or Inquiries?