Time to Slow Down and Bring it all Home…
My catalogs read ‘Go with the Slow’, The Beaches are only the Beginning, and Get Out There, Let’s Go Summer!!! Yes, I say. I want that!! I want long days on the river, perusing quaint shops by the sea, jumping into the ocean waves, walking the beach at dawn before it gets too hot, grilling out, cold beer, iced coffee, doing less! All without mosquitoes, please! I say this in landlocked western Connecticut, when reality sets in as I think of the highway traffic, the extra work needed by ME to plan/prepare the food/drinks/cooler, the scheduling/planning/foresight involved in an over-nighter or one day event.
So while all this sounds great, I think it’s time for Plan B. Bring HOME every memory you can of the best vacations ever! For me, the days were relaxed, not my house so nothing much to do but work a puzzle, read a good mystery, go down to the water, take long walks, and eat out as much as possible!
There are ways to do this!
It starts by giving yourself permission to take a vacation, right here, right now! Begin by stocking the refrig with cold drinks, luscious ripe fruit, and salad fixins available for anyone to help themselves. Declare no cooking days. We have a table on the porch where we have our expresso each morning (reminds us of Paris!) and have dinner with candles each evening. Al Fresco is a Summertime treat!
Each day I put on my bathing suit, go out on the deck and read my novel or play puzzle games for at least 30 min. You can give yourself 30 min from your ‘have to do’ schedule, I’m sure. The have tos must be balanced by the want tos. The 1000 piece puzzle is out on a board where I can add pieces a little at a time or stash it under the sofa in a moments notice. I pull out every seashell as decor on the tables, counters, shelves. Candles scented with lavender, rose, or even Seaside and salt water, along with incense heavy in the pungent smell of bouquets, and my favorite Hydrangea ‘locally made Goat Boy soaps’ fill the air with summertime aroma. I use coconut scented body lotion during the summer. Fill vases with every scent that grabs you throughout the day. Wild roses, geraniums, lilacs, rosemary, mint, or sage will permeate the room and relax your body as memories flood through your whole being. This is living in mindfulness. Surround yourself with pictures of beautiful beaches, sandy walkways, oceans and sailboats, sunsets by beach houses, making them all a part of your summer thoughts.
Everyone lives near some kind of water. Find it. Treat yourself to a walk near it. A river, lake, ocean if you’re lucky, reservoir, any large body of water, has been shown to de-stress, calm, and bring you back to yourself time and time again. Getting out to nature (covered with bug spray for me for sure!) has a great healing, detoxifying, grounding effect on mind, body, and soul. Breathe it in so that you’ll always remember what this Summer smells like. Taking walks outside is a great soothing way to get away from it all. Can’t get to water? Then sit down, breathe, and gaze at the sky for some time each day. Big calming effect!
Make this summer of 2015 memorable in every way. Take photos of this moment in time each day, a selfie of you surrounded by all you love best about summer. Choose the best one, print it, date it, frame it, live with it….and please be smiling!
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