Summertime is a season where we LINK to light…literally.
Sunshine, Vitamin D, and fresh air bring motivation, health,
and positive energy to our lives.
Our optimum health can be found during periods where we can
be most active and joyous outside of a grueling schedule. It helps us to eliminate stress mentally,
emotionally as well as physically, where we can be more active when we are
supported by an environment, which inspires us to get outside and simply BE.
One of our greatest challenges during colder months is the
isolation, sedentary mode of hibernation and moods affected by our environment.
However, we know that this part of being
is also necessary to refuel, refortify, recharge, and increase awareness of
what we need. Fall and winter months are
essential for exercising our brain and heart muscles, where reading, holiday
gatherings, and mindful conversation facilitate deep connection.
Summertime still holds some of the heart and mind exercising
benefits of the colder months with outdoor gathering, summer reads, and
celebrations, but it also holds something unique for every human… the revisiting
of childhood freedom and play.
It is here in this freedom, we find our light… without
restriction, if we choose to embrace it and celebrate it.
When we were children, playing in the summer meant longer
extended periods of daylight to play, perhaps later curfews, and the ability to
find joy in simple things.
Happiness could be found simply from hearing the repetitive tune
of the ice cream truck a few blocks over or playing in the sprinklers, getting
soaked on a hot day. Washing the family
car was not a chore, but rather a ticket to soapy fights with siblings, friends,
and neighbor kids and great wonder was found in discovering crawling insects
that would come out at night.
As an adult, you may ask yourself where this joy went… and
why has the simplicity of these things have somehow become an annoying tune of
an ice cream truck and why insects have become pests and washing the car, just
something to cross off your list of responsibilities to do.
Notice how you have become your own life’s BUZZKILL?
The truth is your perspective has shifted from the time of
your childhood to becoming an adult who looks at life through the eyes of
obligation, duty, and responsibility and somewhere your ability to grasp simple
joys has well….simply died.
BUT… it does not have to.
This is a choice you have to lighten up to open yourself up to the
simple pleasures of life. It is an
opportunity for you to find what happiness the little things can bring to your
life.
Summertime is the perfect time to do this, so you can take
this perspective shift with you all year long to find joy in simple things to
make life fun, more playful and enjoyable. Adults think that summer may only
mean vacations and backyard barbecues, but it does not have to be limited to
these activities. You are allowed to
think outside the box of what you feel is adult-behavior acceptable, whether or
not you use your children as an excuse to explore lost pieces of yourself.
Think back to your childhood summers and the things, which
brought laughter and play. Maybe you played
games or sports outside with neighbors and friends, counted stars in the night
sky or rode your bike to find something new and pretended to be on some
exploratory adventure. Perhaps you painted pictures outside, or collected shells
or rocks…
Censorship of our naturally curious and playful selves happen,
when adults think an activity is stupid, silly, senseless, or a waste of time.
However, it is in these moments we gain clarity of how we
can decompress from the daily grind of life’s long-list of adult
responsibilities in order to find ourselves and our ‘happy spirit’ of freedom
in simply being – but first we must let go of our own self-judgment. The more we let go if this, we find our
liberating joys of not taking everything so seriously, giving ourselves
permission to let go and have fulfillment in silliness and summertime play.
As Memorial Day Weekend approaches (officially the start of
summer) – take the opportunity to start playing again and rediscovering the
beauty of life in simple joys.
Namaste.
