The Soft Week Menu: Your Mid-Year Permission Slip

Hi Besties, Can you believe we’re already halfway through the year? I always find this point in the calendar interesting because it feels like a quiet checkpoint. January encourages us to make plans, set goals, and become a “new person.” But July feels much gentler. It’s less about reinvention and more about reflection. Lately, I’ve been asking myself a simple question: if I want the second half of this year to feel different, what actually needs to change? Not in a dramatic way. Not through a complete life overhaul. Just in the small choices that quietly shape my weeks. One thing I’ve learned through writing these Soft Week Menus is that a soft life isn’t built in January. It’s built in ordinary weeks like this one, when we pause long enough to notice what’s working, what isn’t, and what we’d like to carry forward. So consider this week’s menu your mid-year permission slip.

• Permission to change your mind.
• Permission to revisit old favorites.
• Permission to start a hobby you keep putting off.
• Permission to release habits that no longer fit the life you’re trying to create.

Your soft week starts here.

This Week’s Menu

Reading

The Outline Trilogy by Rachel Cusk (still calling my name)
The Memory Bookshop by Song Yu-jeong

Hobby

Coloring pages, finally starting a jigsaw puzzle, and baking oatmeal raisin cookies

This Week’s Focus

Giving myself permission to change course

Ritual

Checking in with how I want the second half of the year to feel

Reset

Releasing the pressure to finish the year exactly as I planned it

Question to Carry

What am I ready to release for the second half of the year?

Reading: Following the Books That Keep Calling Me

I still haven’t started my reread of The Outline Trilogy by Rachel Cusk. It’s funny because every week I think, “This is the week,” and then another book catches my eye. This week, that book is The Memory Bookshop by Song Yu-jeong. The premise immediately stopped me. A mysterious bookshop outside of time where people can revisit moments from their past, but every trip costs time from their future? That’s exactly the kind of story I love. It feels reflective, a little magical, and completely perfect for this point in the year when so many of us are naturally looking back while also thinking ahead. The Outline trilogy is still waiting for me, and I have a feeling I’ll finally pick it up soon. One thing I’ve learned is that there’s no prize for reading books in the order we planned. Sometimes the right book is simply the one you’re most excited to open. If you’re creating your own Soft Week Menu this week, maybe that’s your permission slip too. Read the book that’s calling to you instead of the one you feel like you “should” read.

Hobby: Returning to Familiar Comforts

Coloring remains my most dependable hobby. It’s become one of those small rituals I don’t really have to think about anymore. Whenever I need a quiet moment, I naturally find myself reaching for my markers or colored pencils. The jigsaw puzzle, however, is still sitting patiently, waiting for me. I haven’t started it yet, but I’ve been itching to. And honestly, I think that’s part of the fun. Sometimes simply knowing there’s a cozy afternoon waiting for you is enough to brighten the week. I’m also planning to bake a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies because I have oatmeal I want to use up. They’re probably one of the most underrated cookies, if you ask me. Simple, comforting, and perfect with a cup of tea and a good book. If you’re building your own Soft Week Menu, don’t feel like you need to invent brand-new hobbies. Sometimes returning to familiar comforts is exactly what the season calls for.

This Week’s Focus: A Mid-Year Permission Slip

I think we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to be consistent. We make goals in January and convince ourselves we have to stick with them no matter what. But what if the person you were in January isn’t the person you are now? That’s not failure, that’s growth. The first half of the year teaches us things. It changes us. It shows us what we enjoy, what drains us, and what no longer fits. I’ve realized that living intentionally isn’t about stubbornly sticking to the original plan. It’s about being willing to edit the plan when your life changes.

• Maybe you’ve discovered a new hobby.
• Maybe you’ve outgrown a goal.
• Maybe you’ve realized you want slower mornings, different books, fewer commitments, or more weekends at home.

You’re allowed to adjust. In fact, I think that’s one of the healthiest things we can do.

Ritual: Checking In With Myself

Instead of making a long list of new goals, I’m keeping my mid-year ritual incredibly simple. I’m asking myself one question: How do I want the second half of this year to feel?
Not what I want to accomplish or buy. Not how many books I want to read. But how do I want my days to feel? For me, the answer keeps coming back to the same words: curious, calm, connected, creative. Those words make decisions a little easier because they become a filter for everything else. If something pulls me away from the life I’m trying to create, maybe it doesn’t belong in this season.

Reset: Letting Go of the Original Plan

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned this year is that changing direction doesn’t mean you’ve given up. Sometimes it means you’ve been paying attention. There are routines I’ve adjusted, books I’ve postponed, and ideas I’ve let go of. And honestly, I’m grateful I did. Because making room for something new almost always requires releasing something old. That’s the reset I’m carrying into July. Not chasing perfection, just making thoughtful edits as I go.

The Question We’re Carrying This Week

What am I ready to release for the second half of the year? Maybe it’s the pressure to finish every book, a routine that no longer works, unrealistic expectations, or the belief that you have to keep doing something because you started it. Whatever comes to mind, give yourself permission to let it go. The second half of the year doesn’t have to look like the first.

Final Thoughts

This week’s Soft Week Menu feels like a quiet turning point. A reminder that we don’t have to wait until January to make changes.

We can choose different books.
We can revisit forgotten hobbies.
We can bake cookies on an ordinary afternoon.
We can let go of plans that no longer fit.

Most importantly, we can give ourselves permission to become someone slightly different than we were six months ago. I think that’s one of the kindest things we can do for ourselves. I’d love to know what’s on your Soft Week Menu this week. What are you reading, reaching for, resetting, or learning right now? And if you’re giving yourself one permission slip for the second half of the year, what would it be? Let me know in the comments.