Welcome to July

Kris Evergreen here. July 1st. Wednesday. The exact middle of the year, give or take a day, and the start of the month that, for a lot of us, is summer at its most fully itself.

I love July in a way I can’t entirely defend. It’s hot, the to-do list doesn’t slow down just because the weather got nice, and the second half of the year always feels like it arrives a little too fast. And yet. There’s something about July that gives you permission to ease up. The pace of the world relaxes a little. People take their time. The evenings stretch long and gold.

Here’s my one suggestion for the first day of July: don’t let it pass without noticing it. We’re halfway through 2026. You’ve come a long way already. The back half of the year is a blank page, and it starts today.

The back half of the year is a blank page. It starts today.

What do you want the second half of your year to feel like?