(CNN) Summer 2021 was supposed to be our time.
Vaccines were finally available and we were seeing a light at the end of the pandemic tunnel. Or so we thought.
The variants had other plans for us.
One year later, Covid is still here. But I am feeling more determined than ever to reconnect with community and feel some joy.
Pop culture can be a source of happiness by giving us the creatives and their creations we so love.
From Beyoncé and Drake dropping new house music and drawing us back on the dance floor to blockbusters like "Top Gun: Maverick" drawing us back to the movies, this summer's mood is -- ever so slightly -- up.
Now, before you challenge that thought with gas prices, the climate crisis, out of control inflation, and human rights and democracy in peril, please hear me out.
All of that can be true and offer all the more motivation, for me, to lean into living.
To quote Queen Bey, "you won't break my soul" as I pursue the positive during the 90 or so days of summer ahead.
Later sunsets offer opportunity to spend more time with friends and family, enjoying patio meals, bonfires, beach time, camping or whatever else is your groove.
And while the temperatures may be soaring, summer music festivals and tours are also pretty hot, with artists like The Rolling Stones, Bad Bunny, Lady Gaga, The Weeknd, Kendrick Lamar and Luke Combs hitting stages around the world.
These past few years have been...stressful isn't even the word for it. More like depressing and downright dreadful on so many levels.
No, the pandemic isn't completely over, but vaccines and boosters mean fewer people are experiencing severe illness.
If we learn nothing else from these challenging times, it's that life is fleeting.
So, for this short season, let's keep our heads and lighters up and grab hold of some goodness.
As Lizzo has preached, "It's about damn time."