In the last couple of articles, I have addressed the active energy of summer. Summer is the season of movement, activity, growth, and creation. We all want to be out and moving and doing particularly after the year of the isolation of the pandemic. Our ancestors held festivals, tribal gatherings, and family celebrations at this time of year when the weather was good and the crops were growing.
The shadow side of activity is motion without attention or direction. I recently had direct proof of this concept. While visiting San Francisco, I tripped and had a serious fall breaking a finger on one hand, spraining the other, and getting a mild concussion. Ouch! I was hurrying along and not paying attention on a crowded sidewalk.
When I meditated on this situation, for I believe there are truly no ‘accidents’, I discovered I was forgetting to notice the beauty of the moment. Many times, I am so engrossed in getting somewhere on my time schedule that I don’t take time to enjoy the journey and place in front of me. It reminds me of my inner child constantly asking, “Are we there yet?” instead if assuring her we are always ‘there.’ There being here and now, the perfect moment and the perfect place.
During this active summer of growth, accomplishment, movement, and action, be sure to take the time relax and smell the roses (and other flowers). Listen to the birds, the music of children’s laughter, and the sounds of the voices around you. Feel the touch of a loved one, the coolness of water washing over you, the fall of rain on your skin, the wind rushing by your cheek. See the sun shining through the leaves in the morning and the beauty of the sparkling stars in the night sky. You are there now. Enjoy the moments of summer.
