7.4.26 | 🗺️ How to go away and stay connected

Happy Saturday!

Ashley D’Arcy, our Senior Editor at The Good Trade, is the author behind today’s edition and it is my pleasure to welcome her!

Ashley’s astute perspective guides all of our editorial decisions. She joined the team around the same time I did and from the first time we met I have always walked away from time together with an awareness of how sharp she is, how cultured, and how kind.

Sending lots of love to you all this holiday weekend, and wishing you plenty of sunshine, fresh air, good food, and time with loved ones.

Warmly,
Kate

This summer, travel plans fell into place for me for the first time. I’ve been feeling more connected than ever to my daily pursuits, and somehow this made me feel more at peace with time away. Vacation right now is less of an escape, and more time for more life. A few months ago, I was inspired to book a home in Maine for August and invite some old friends there myself. And then, for the first week of July, it happened that there was a tiny dog in the city of Greenport on the North Fork of Long Island who needed some looking after while his family went away to an island in Greece.

That’s where I’ve been for about a week, in a small seafaring town parallel to the more affluent South Fork aka The Hamptons. I’ve been working remotely up to the holiday and taking care of Landy, whose name perfectly evokes the borderline of this place between land and sea. As July 4th approaches, it is becoming more and more normal to see an out-of-towner waltzing into the coffee shop. But last weekend, when I went into Aldo’s close to 9 a.m., a whole host of suntanned men with calloused hands looked at me as if on the tip of their tongue was: “Why are you here?”

So, why am I here? It’s a good question for a vacationer. It’s the same question they asked me when I went to the Town Hall to gain access to the mostly resident-only beaches here on the North Fork. It was my connection to purpose and people that led to my vacation; so the question becomes how to sustain it on the vacation itself? Especially when you’re in a new place with no connections, and your tie to your life is severed. What do you remain connected to?

Here in Greenport, I’m reminded of vacations I took as a child to the East Coast, especially out to the Cape. These peninsular formations themselves represent a kind of connection-distance from the mainland and all its trappings. What I’ve learned over the years is that the idea of disappearance, breaks, and going away leads to a lot of anxiety and confusion once I’m off the grid. While I’m still not answering emails from the beach (except sometimes), I am honoring all the work that I have done and will do when I return.

I’ve discovered that means doing the things you love no matter where you go. For me, those things are stimulating conversations, long reads, beauty whether it is natural or carefully considered, and, yes, Pilates! Just because I’m away doesn’t mean that I can slip away. I’m still here, and my desire doesn’t quiet on a trip. So I’m continuing to listen and follow, and not be afraid to carve out space for myself in a new place...