ah no matter where we are in life, how lucky for new a beginning with summer solstice.
for me this new beginning, ironically, is a time to change the way i've always felt about summer -- slow and sleepy. disneyland, water parks and swimming pools; a break from learning. seems i'm always in a constant "gotta do something, anything mode!"... always need some type of activity in my life, a rush to the books, follow up on my goals made during winter solstice. achieving, achieving, achieving. I'm the hare and my husband the tortoise. slow and steady he is. both methods highly effective but hmmmm, which one ages the other faster. back to what summer means to me....
i called ucsb this morning, our local university library, asking if they had an english-sanskrit dictionary. they had one very old copy, gave me chills it was so old. asking the info gal the libary hours, she described this week as the 'dead' week where finals are over and summer session will be starting next week. ah ha, it is the slow, sleepy time. that time b/w those hard working semesters. that goal-less week of lazying around. not a bad thing, we need laze around days. something i gotta learn from the island wisdom.
so, renewal time is in order. time i see summer a little differently. this afternoon on my campus walk, i noticed nature's beautiful colors, nature's sounds, even her air, and the life growing all around me. the ebbs and flows of life. summer disguised as an unproductive time all these years for me now i see it in a reviving light as a time to renew, energize, enjoy, slow down and remove clutter to make way for more beautiful things in life.
my goal: to re-create harmony with b/w my mind, body and soul.
here's a small quick list i just came up with to help me create that harmonous life:
- speak (and walk) the truth
- see the good in others
- give more than i take
- be constantly grateful
- listen to that silent space within me (meditate)
- follow the rhythms of nature - rise and retire with the sun
- have more spa days
- laze around more
- enjoy this fantastic journey
a quick tip to get started this weekend: get out in nature and come back and journal your thoughts. write down the things that bring you joy and make a point of enjoying them this summer. do something out of your comfort zone, something that you fear -- is it being alone, seeing a movie alone, going to that retreat you've always wanted to try, getting onto an elevator, taking a public speaking class, yoga class, etc... as nike says "just do it!" i can't agree more... i'm off to a fearful task, that dreaded sales call... happy summer solstice!
"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one WILD and PRECIOUS life?"
it's hard to imagine heat, humidity and bugs living in a temperate beach city like santa barbara but in those parts of our country where people need the bugs to go away, try the bug away spray by buddha nose. we've gotten a surge of orders for these sprays from i think it was a lakeside cabin in the northwest and from upstate new york, vermont, and illinois so i thought this would be a perfect time to feature it on spahhh talk.
, a book she dedicated to her guru.
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