A Sparkling Rosé Summer
This summer was nothing like I planned. Since February, I’ve been applying to jobs, losing count of how many cover letters I’ve tailored to each company’s set of qualifications. I was ready to dive into work immediately after graduation, watching the fruits of my labor start to grow.
A month after crossing the stage, there was still no luck, and one of my friends put in perspective for me that since I already had a trip coming up, I might as well take June for myself, a little break from the years of studying, endless school commitments and packed schedules. If I was no longer spending so much time doomscrolling through Linkedin and revising cover letters, what would I do with my time? Boredom made me restless and whenever I tried to write something, anything—poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction—my work felt uninspired and bland.
Before I knew it, my plane was boarding and I was on my way to Italy—a family trip to celebrate my graduation, my parents’ 25th wedding anniversary, and my mom’s 50th birthday. We traveled to Milan, Venice, Florence, Pisa, and Rome, a storybook dream come to life. While each city has its own charm and different aesthetics, something they all had in common was wine on the table. For both lunch and dinner, every restaurant we went to had red and white ready to pour.
I’ve always gravitated towards red. Red is sophistication, like a classic dress you can’t go wrong with. It’s planning and organization, a type A personality’s wonderland. It’s velvety relaxation, a string quartet, a quiet vacation, and romantic, handwritten letters.
Whatever white wine I had before Italy was always too dry for my taste. I liked a smooth, wet wine, and red had always done it for me. But one day someone poured me sauvignon, and I savored every sip. It didn’t change my preference, but it was a more refreshing option, especially during Europe’s heat wave.
When I returned home I gave myself a few days to recover from the jet lag. The job search began again, and one opportunity set my hopes high. Feeling more secure in my future, I loosened the tightness in my schedule and allowed myself time to lean into this unexpected summer vacation. When boredom hit again I didn’t run from it to workaholism. Instead I sat with it and wondered what I wanted to do. For so long I had been doing what I felt I should be doing to check all the boxes on the way to success. Ever since I was a teenager, I felt so much pressure from peers and school settings that emphasized how important it was to do the absolute best you can in high school, be well rounded, and basically perfect to get into a good college and/or earn a scholarship. Once you jump through that hurdle it was all about resume building, networking, and keeping that scholarship. I checked every box off the list, and yet, the future I had been promised by pressure turned out to be a lie. Success was taking its time to arrive, so I focused more on myself. I rediscovered my love for hobbies like painting, sewing, and baking. I also started scrapbooking and reconnected with my love for craftiness.
Most of my time in the past three sunny months was also filled with socializing. From salsa and bachata classes, to trying new coffee shops and restaurants with friends, every week on my calendar was filled with something to recharge my emotional battery, because nothing makes me feel more uplifted than seeing my besties.
The outings I loved most this summer were to wine bars. Sitting outside while the sun set, we drank sparkling red wine, and conversation flowed as easily as the drinks. On one such occasion at a speakeasy, I decided to try the sparkling rosé. Best decision ever.
Sparkling rosé is the pinnacle of balance. The sophistication of red and refreshment of white. It’s making a plan and being spontaneous. Relaxation and beauty, smoothness and bounce. It’s alleviating the pressure to be perfect and replacing that with striving to simply be good.
As August arrived, the bittersweetness of summer’s soon departure and anticipation for Fall, I went wine tasting in Temecula with my family. My favorite was a sparkling rosé. The airiness of the bubbles and crisp notes of strawberry cutting the taste of alcohol are exactly what I love about it.
The next morning as I watched the sun rise above the vineyards, hot air balloons dotted in the sky, the tranquility was an answered prayer. It might not be my job to understand God’s reasons for thwarting my plans, but maybe the blessing of a long job search was His way of nudging me to have more fun. After years and years of hard work and doing what I felt like I should do, I finally had a season where sparkling rosé was more important.
