The Delicious Optimism of Pumpkin Spiced Lattes

Can you feel it? Can you smell it?

Ok, ok so if you are anything like most of us you are neck deep in the final mercurial hot weather days of summer, relishing in the golden hour with kids that probably should have been to bed quite some time ago and you are in dire need of a self care shift.

I recently enjoyed a walk with a fellow fully employed working mom who, while on maternity leave and pushing her two month old little one asked, when the hell did the basic needs of existence for women become defined as “self care”.

“Oh honey, make sure you take a good shower.”

“Have you had a chance to get some sleep?”

“Don’t forget to eat, you need to take care of yourself. “

For most of us moms, something as basic as going to the bathroom for some period of time involved a toddler wrapped in our legs either sobbing because play was interrupted or asking to help wipe. Want privacy? Sure, they’ll close the door and stay right there with you.

Now anyone who knows me, knows that I love nothing more than my job as a mom. Parenting my most extraordinary children has been the single most important role I have ever accepted. I also really really love my job as the CEO of The Optimist Daily…. and between those two things, the odds of me getting in anything more than basic body function self care is slim to none. 

…..and yes, I could go deep into the imbalance of childcare availability for working primary parents, the shocking dropout rate of those primary parents from accepting leadership roles during their key child rearing years and the disastrous effect it has on the mixed gender and diverse leadership of many of our most important industries,

but this post is about Pumpkin Spiced Lattes.

I am writing in profound support and passion for all the folks out there who look forward to this season and are early buyers or at home makers of Pumpkin Spiced Lattes and frankly everything else that is pumpkin spiced. We are all getting just a tiny bit of self care through this seasonal consumption and that is brilliant.

The spices involved in the traditional Pumpkin Spice Latte include cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. These warming, inspiring spices have been used for centuries in a calming and centering way whether it was the Mayans using allspice as an embalming tool or it was my daughter’s great grandmother’s not so secret ingredient in some really impressive pies. Cinnamon is good for memory and circulation and nutmeg is full of health benefits. These manufactured and now widely marketed, rebranded, and repackaged concepts are all beckoning us back to a sip of something nostalgic and kind.

There are also well documented benefits of actual self care practices for everyone, especially parents these days. Whether it is to reduce anxiety, increase resilience, enhance memory, or just get through the morning without yelling at the cat, dog, husband or toddler - doing something simple that feels good, is good.

While most of us are catch-as-catch-can when it comes to finding time to journal or meditate, the Pumpkin Spice season is what I’d call micro-dosing of self care. I am all for micro-dosing. If you are looking for other quick and dirty burst of self care The Optimist Daily writers compiled a few worthy reminders here. 

To those who hate on the ‘Hallmark Holiday” feeling of Pumpkin Spice, knock it off. For those of us who are desperately looking for 6 minutes to do our business without someone banging on the door, this tradition is centering. And that’s the thing about these seasonal traditions, they are centering.

They bring us back through olfactory and tactical sensory reminders to those times when the fall leaves fell magically and the end of summer was welcomed. They bring us back to a time when we weren’t wrestling with the constant Covid closures of our schools and the effects that had on our careers. They give us optimism for a time gone by and a new time, we will create going forward.

Don't hate on all us basics and our seasonal beverage of choice. We are getting centered for our relaunch. 

Just as soon as we finish this pumpkin spiced perfection.