Tuesday, July 31, 2012

August: I Intend to Create an Island of Calm

“It’s a smile, it’s a kiss, it’s a sip of wine, it’s summertime, sweet summertime!”
Kenny Chesney

When the warmer days of August finally roll around, I start feeling anxious. I get the feeling summer is almost over before it really has gotten a chance to even begin. I plan on changing that anxious feeling this year by changing my attitude. This is my choice and I intend to create a summer island of calm. On my summer island of calm there is no end until I say so, or perhaps I give into the musty smells of fall days as they gently pull and coax me into the next season.

My summer island of calm includes some of the very best of summertime:

  • A nap or two in a hammock swinging in the breeze
  • Reading a book I cannot put down
  • The flavors of mint and basil in my morning smoothie
  • Many helpings of fresh seafood
  • An obscenely large ice-cream cone
  • The smell of a barbeque hissing and spitting away
  • Flashes of garden color and scents so sweet they fill me with sunshine
  • Gliding along on a paddle board or kayak
  • The crack of a watermelon as I begin to cut into it
  • Lounging in the warmth of the day
  • Gentle breezes billowing the curtains within my home
  • A chorus of bird songs playing in the background
  • The taste of a juicy tree ripened peach
  • An ice cold drink of whatever stirs my fancy
  • Time lost in the company of friends/family

What will your island of calm include? Choose for yourself and create an island of calm today. You must start your day with the intention: I intend to create an island of calm. Let the invocation surround you with calmness each day this month. Bask in the endless days of summer.

 Water Nymph photo courtesy of Steve Jurvetson

Sunday, July 1, 2012

July: I Intend to Try Something New

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do.
So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor.
Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover."
Mark Twain

There are times in all our lives when we long to try something new and break the strains of routine. Perhaps it is as simple as a new hairstyle⎯especially when you have been wearing the same one since high school! Whether you are in a rut or just want to see what it’s like, whatever that something might be, this is the month to dream, explore and discover.

When vacationing in Hawaii, I would occasionally see a person standing on what looked like a surfboard, paddling their way along smooth water bays. It looked effortless and somehow seemed as if they were walking on water. Lately, I have noticed these stand-up “surfers” on lakes around my home. Watching them glide through the water looked like it might be akin to aquatic meditation.

This month, I intend to try something new by taking a stand up paddling (SUP) lesson. Perhaps I will really enjoy it and add it to my repertoire of “things I do.” On the other hand, I might find it really isn’t my cup of tea, but I will have thrown off the bowlines and given it a try. No longer will I want to know what it is like. No longer will I wonder if I could do it. This is the month!

When I wake each morning, I will remind myself of my intention. I will dream, explore and who knows what I’ll discover. Sail with me away from your safe harbor of procrastination. Don’t just dream it. Figure out how you can do it and go for it!


Photo courtesy of Nick Hewson