Summertime has begun!

Summer has begun.                                                                           
Winter and Spring have said goodbye for now! 

Or maybe they are saying…”Look what’s next!!  - We’ll be back!  But look what we’ve brought you!  -Enjoy the summer!”

 Summer to many of us… means simple. Slowing down. A little easier maybe?

Relishing the warm days, the nights with the crickets coming out and saying, 

“Thank you Summer! Over and over and over and over and over and over again.  Gratefully expressing themselves!! The summer floral quilts over the plains and the mountains… in our backyards, on our patios, or maybe just on our little windowsill.  

They’re enjoying the summer.  Pretty simply.  They grow, they bloom, they search for the sun..they color the soil above from which they are growing. They simply move with the breeze.

Simple. Like breathing. 

Maybe we can use Summer …. To simplify. To make things calmer.  To slow down, To find peace and wisdom, moments of meditation – as well as joyful exhuberations. 

 Start your day by simply giving thanks that another day is yours. You’ve been given an amazing gift. 

Listen for the spoon clanging next to your cup as you stir your coffee or tea in the morning.  It’s calling you to find the quiet when it stops…. It’s calling you to say,  “Now my job is done… and I bet this is going to taste great.” Breathe. 

 Begin the day with a simple task…Make your bed…. And when those pillows get plopped just the way you want, and the comforter gets pulled up just  where you like…. Take a moment to remember how amazingly fortunate we are for the warmth, the comfort, the coverings.  For some have only a floor, some have only a sidewalk, some have only a rough patch of ground with some old, and I mean old, padding. Remind yourself the bed is there again for you tonight…. When darkness and quiet settles in and calls us to rest.  And breathing while we are sleeping, restoring us even more than during the day’s inhales and exhales.  Over and over and over and over and over again. Breathe. 

 Water your plants…. You are nourishing them.  Nourish  yourself and your body the next time you take a long drink of water…or sit down for an evening meal…..and take your time to drink that single glass of water… or to savor each bite….all of which sustains you. And then…. Breathe.   Give thanks,  give thanks, that you have nurtured and nourished yourself as well as those plants in your kitchen window. 

 Encourage yourself to make simple choices this summer…small steps, little chores, minute decisions.  They are all progress.  Enjoy the warm sun.  Enjoy the pounding hard rains at night. Enjoy the cool evenings outside.  And breathe.

 Meet up with a friend… call an old acquaintance. … and realize and trust that you may be giving them the best gift they’ve had in a long time.  With each breath, know that you have engaged in a connection, knitting together memories and friendships. Breathe.

 Meet up with yourself.  In your simple Summer, Take into account all that you have accomplished in life, all that you have accomplished today so far…. And give thanks.  You are breathing. You are receiving daily bread…. In so many ways… the sunrise, the clouds breaking away to reveal  blue skies, the small tasks that your body allows you to perform, the chores that might seem mundane, the exhilarating experiences that leave you in awe and wonder .. and you know?... even breathless. So breathe.. inhale.. exhale… Breathe it all in....

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