Summer is ingrained into our heads as the season of fun, a time of reinvention and happiness. I never understood that, but now I do, which I’ll forever be grateful for.

As I’m embarking on these new adventures, for this new permanency, summer feels only temporary yet it transfers into now, maybe I’m just temporary.

The summers of my childhood are full of images of coconut trees and ripe mangoes, fresh pickles, blooming flowers and the maze-like rooms of my grandparents’ house.

We wobble achingly slow around our little cul-de-sac, narrowly avoiding the neatly trimmed flower beds lining his yard. It feels like walking with my legs tied together.

…nostalgia holds a remarkable potential for inner healing and growth, particularly through the lens of reconnecting with our inner child.

The feeling often evoked a sense of bittersweet sadness similar to one of leaving a beloved place, knowing I’d never return to that same time and space ever again. 

I would forget the worries of life and be fully present in the moment.  It was during these moments that I wished time could pause, just so I could savor them a bit longer.

With Cinderella’s ambition and kindness towards others, she, like all of us, hopes to see a happy ending. As for me, her story remains in a special place in my heart, as I am sure several others do as well.

Bend it Like Beckham feels like summer, soccer (football, sorry!), and queer awakening (all deeply nostalgic to me). But more importantly,  it feels like coming of age– and coming into myself, and all the ways I can bend but not break.