UNLESS OF COURSE, YOU DON’T LIKE THE BEACH ;)
Hello there! I hope this week finds you celebrating the longer days and asking yourself what you want this Summer to feel like. I'm drinking blood orange black tea this morning and thinking about the importance of how things feel rather than how they look.
In my classes this week, we are talking about what it means to invite in abundance this Summer, specifically what it means for us individually and how it's okay for it to look different for each of us.
I've had a tricky relationship with Summer (historically my least favourite season) and as I've invited myself to explore why, I think it's that I thought it was supposed to look a certain way. That to enjoy Summer is to bask on the beach all day, frolic in the ocean and stay up late around a little fire on the beach. Oh, and there's definitely some dude playing a guitar somewhere on that beach.
Now, this might sound like a dream to you, but for someone crowd and heat averse who also likes to be in bed by 9:30 (yes, I am 83 years old at heart), this is not the Summer for me. And it doesn't need to be.
When I ask myself why I think that's the picture perfect Summer, I ultimately imagine it feels a certain way for the people experiencing it. Light and easy and relaxing. Whereas I am generally just trying to stay cool while counting down for sweater weather to return.
Here's the thing though, I don't want to wish my time away. I do actually want to enjoy all the seasons and spend my Summer feeling light and easy and relaxed. So instead of trying to force the idea of a light, easy and relaxed Summer I started asking myself how might I actually make that happen? What does that look like for me? Now, I do like to frolic in the water, so last Summer I started going to the outdoor pool in the mornings. It's not too hot and not too busy, except with other grandma-minded people like myself and my lovely friends who came with me. I also love getting out for morning or evening strolls and enjoying the longer days. In the heat of the day, ease for me is relaxing with a book and a cold drink (or a hot tea because...I'm me) and honestly just doing a little less. And that's okay.
It's not particularly flashy or insta worthy, but honestly last Summer was one of the nicest I've had in years. I wasn't wishing it away. I let go of what I thought it should be and asked myself what I needed it to be.
You can apply this to anything really, but if you have struggled with Summer like I have, then ask yourself how you want to feel this Summer. What evokes those feelings or that feeling for you? Can you invite more of it in?
You are allowed to do it the way you want to do it (even you, guitar dude!). So cultivate it and allow yourself to enjoy your unique expression of the season.
As you move through this week, remember to treat yourself and your body with love, respect and kindness.
Much love,
Helen xo
