So fun you can almost taste it

Week 1: Simple sweetness for all your senses

In case you missed it, all August long Outsourced Optimism will be transformed into Camp AweGust, a 4 week, choose-your-own-adventure, virtual summer camp designed to combat the Sunday Scaries of Summer (otherwise known as Blah-Gust…I mean, August). We tackle the seasonal burnout and anxious boredom of these dog days with imagination, creativity, and the kind of simple joys that make us feel like a kid again. The best part is– you don’t have to go anywhere. We’ll find magic and delight and freedom exactly where we are.

It’s completely free. All are welcome. And you can invite anyone you want. In fact, it’s highly encouraged. All you need to do is bop these buttons to Subscribe and Share.

Ready to dive in? Keep scrolling to join our Week 1 festivities.

If you’re lost, follow these sign posts:
🪧 Front Desk: Get the lowdown on this year’s Camp AweGust
🪧 Opening Day: Get the lay of the land and meet your fellow campers

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Lately, I have been standing at the kitchen counter, eating nectarines and chunks of watermelon with bare fingers, juice running down my arm. I know that might sound poetic, but I was not a messy kid and my tolerance for sticky fingers has not improved with age.

Generally, when I’m trying to have a photogenic moment with my fresh fruit, or somehow romanticize my life into something resembling a still life portrait, I am more likely to slice it, attempting for artful wedges on a wooden cutting board (which usually turns into me wishing I had one of those artisan cutting boards that look simple and rustic but cost hundreds of dollars) which I will then arrange onto a beautiful pottery plate (which usually turns into me digging around in our cupboards, wishing I had a more beautiful platters and better storage and the kind of designer kitchen where these earthenwares would be at home), and by the time I sit down with my effortlessly crumpled linen napkin (wrinkles being the only effortless part of this entire process), the moment has passed.

It sounds so silly when I put it in writing, but the truth is, produce is not the only thing I turn into a production. My striving for a perfect presentation often stands in the way of my presence and my enjoyment. To be honest, last year I did this with Camp. I was so busy creating it, I barely had any time to participate in it. I was like the host who never sits down for the four course dinner she’s made.

I don’t know if the fruit is actually sweeter this year or if it’s that I’m just a little more here to taste it, but I know I want to channel this spirit into Camp. That looseness of here-ness that can feel a little messy, but can also be a little freeing. A napkin nearby (a paper one), no phone in my hand (see also: sticky fingers), all of my senses dedicated to this single, uncomplicated moment and whatever sweetness is there to savor.

INVITATION: Time to get those imaginations churning! Ben & Jerry’s called and they want you to invent their next ice cream flavor. It can be sweet or salty, dairy or not dairy, fruity or chocolatey…or all of the above. The only thing it can’t be is boring. The sky’s the limit! Unless you want to make astronaut ice cream, which is also an option!

If making ice cream doesn’t sound very simple, don’t worry. If you’ve ever ordered a Dairy Queen blizzard or visited a self-serve frozen yogurt shop, you’re well equipped for this challenge. Grab your aprons and let’s head to the Test Kitchen!

INSPIRATION: First things first, let’s find our inspiration. Of course you can start with actual ingredients you love, but don’t be afraid to think outside the grocery basket. Starting with unexpected source material can nudge your imagination into new and delicious territory. Salt & Straw and Jeni’s are excellent references for wild and inventive flavor combinations. Here’s a little more food for thought to get you started:

• Think of someone or something you really like (a pet, a partner, your favorite musician). Now imagine them as an ice cream– would they be smooth or crunchy, would they have contrasting flavors or a single ingredient several different ways, would they be colorful, traditional, spicy…

• Think of your favorite TV show. If each character were an ingredient, what eclectic mix would you end up with?

• Think of your favorite vacation. What flavors come to mind?

• Think of your inner child. If they had free reign in the grocery store, what ingredients fill their cart?

INGREDIENTS: Make a list and grab everything you need. Most grocery stories have a little end cap dedicated to ice cream toppings, but the whole store is your oyster. Except probably not actual oysters. But who knows. You’re the boss. Maybe your mix-ins are in the bakery, maybe you need to spend some time in the produce department. I definitely wouldn’t be surprised if you needed to stop by the candy aisle.

For your ice cream base, you have a few options:

1. You can buy existing ice creams to blend or build on top of

2. You can use these no churn recipes (which also include a bunch of fun flavor ideas): no churn dairy recipe, non-dairy nice cream recipe

3. You can use an ice cream maker if you have one.

INVENTION: Channel your best Top Chef or your inner Mad Scientist and get ready, get set…MAKE!

Before you head off to enjoy a big bowl of your tasty treat, think up a name (the more puns the merrier), snap a photo, and proudly share your ice cream invention over at our Ice Cream Social 🍨 👉🏻.

Due to Buckwheat’s limited availability (and lack of enthusiasm for walks in the heat), we’re doing something a little different with the Wonder Walks this year. Since Wonder Walks are all about getting creative with the way we see things, I thought what better way to introduce new points of view than to literally invite new points of view. Each week, our Walks will be hosted by a different Guest Camp Counselor, offering us their unique lens so we can see our world in a whole new way.

Meet this week’s Guest Counselor:

Rebecca Holden

We’ve all gotten lost before and everyone feels lost in life sometimes, but no one writes about it with more observant charm than Rebecca, a self-professed ‘writer navigating the world with absolutely no sense of direction’. When she’s not wandering, you can find her at her Substack home, Dear Reader, I’m Lost.

Hi Campers, I’m Rebecca, Tami’s Co-Counsellor this week. I’m an art-thusiastic writer from UK, and although I love to Hike-with-a-capital-H I don’t ever want my yearning for broader horizons to make me lose sight of what’s very close to home.

To that end, I’m taking you on a very short Wonder Walk on which we’ll aim to see further by looking closer. In my pack are a notebook, my phone for taking pictures, an ordinary pencil and a few coloured pencils in my favourite shades.

It doesn’t matter where you are: and remember, we’re not going far. Ready? Let’s go!

• Take ten steps towards the sun, then stop.

• Look down at the ground and see what you can see. There might be a leaf, a feather, a rock or a flower; perhaps a snail shell or some berries that have fallen from a tree.

• Sit down next to the thing you’d like to take a closer look at. What shape is it? Oblong, round, oval? Draw that shape.

• Is it spiky or smooth? Does it have a texture? Make marks in your notebook to represent those elements.

• What colour is it? Perhaps it’s lots of colours. Grab the pencil or pencils closest to that colour or colours, and make marks in that colour.

• Try this for several objects.

• If it’s something you can pick up, do that. Turn it over in your hand. Is it warm or cold? Soft or hard? Write down the words which come to mind.

• If you like, take a picture of it. If it’s hard and has an interesting texture, make a rubbing in your notebook with your pencil.

• Does the object spark a memory for you? Spend some time exploring that memory in your head. Write that down, if you’d like to.

• You’ve got to know your found object pretty well by now. How about you draw it? Refer to the notes and marks you’ve made – everything you need is right there.

Follow this tiny ant trail to see Rebecca’s delightful discoveries and share your walk to our Wonder Wall 👉🏻

Find the scent (and follow it)

I once read that, when you travel, you should pick out a new perfume. By introducing the new fragrance during your trip, your brain will associate it with that experience and a simple spritz will instantly transport you back to that time and place no matter how much time has passed. I was thinking about this when I read

DANI WORLD

‘s Good Newsletter and she shared this article about why scents cause nostalgia.

So this week, we’re going to wield this power for good and choose the transportive scent that will bring us back to this particular season, in this particular year, at this particular Camp. Even if you’re in a year you don’t necessarily want to return to (🙋🏻‍♀️), this olfactory shortcut can help to ground you in the small bright spot you’ve carved out for yourself.

If you’re not a perfume person, maybe you take yourself to a candle store. Maybe you pull out that special lotion you bought awhile back and have been saving for a special occasion. Maybe your diffuser gets a new essential blend. You could even just switch up your deodorant. But whatever you do, choose something that feels fun, that lights you up when you pick it up, that feels like a treat for all your senses and yourself.

Let’s pretend the nights are chilly, the fireflies are blinking in the dark, and we’ve got a crackling campfire to gather around before you head back to real life. Join me and your fellow Campers in the comments and let’s share our excitements, comforts, and whatever we’ve got in abundance. Use this fill-in-blank prompt if you’re not sure what to say:

It’s the first official week of Camp and I’m feeling _____. Getting started is always a little tough, so I’m glad I packed my favorite comforts: _____, _____, and _____. If anyone needs _____, I’m happy to share!

I’ll meet you down there!