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| First sunflower of the season |
The start of summer is upon us and I cannot help but feel joy and gratitude welling up inside as I look around and see all the wonders that it brings. It's already mid July though, three weeks into the season, and it feels as though time is
flying by faster than ever. What once felt like an endless two to three month
summer vacation as a kid seems to flash by in the blink of an eye as an
adult.
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| Tasty summer appetizer idea from Pintarest. |
My husband - the engineer - says the phenomenon of time moving by faster as we age is based on the fact that a given set period of time - such as one week or one year - becomes an increasingly smaller percentage of our life as we age. For example, one year of a 10 year old's life is 10% of their life. Whereas one year of a 40 year old's life is 2.5% of their life. So one year for the 10 year old feels like an ETERNITY in comparison to us 40 something year old folks.
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| Blooming hen-and-chicks - or "chicken heads" as they're known at our house |
I'd like to think that we can work with this "fact" and still create a sense of spacious summer time - a sense of eternity - by changing habits and routines to accommodate the impact of aging. That similar to changing my eating and exercise habits to accommodate aging's impact on my body - I can change or add habits and practices to slow down the march of time and savor summer like my 10 year old self would.
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I find that being present in the moment - and practicing gratitude on a daily basis - help me to slow down and savor time - no matter what season I'm in. So I decided this summer to "turn back time" and make it a daily habit to reflect on what I'm grateful for about the season. What I love about summer. To pause and be grateful for the first sunflower bloom from seeds planted earlier in spring; the sweet burst of a homegrown apricot melting on my tongue....
...tomatoes ripening on the vine and piles of sour cherry pits where the squirrels do their noshing
...cherry tomatoes still warm from the sun - popped into our mouths straight from the vine
...laughing with my husband about how few of our cherry tomatoes ever make it into the house and a "real" meal
...the first ripe figs of the year! (and beating the squirrels to them)
...bird netting which works equally well against squirrels
...brunch in the courtyard with the Sunday paper, oatmeal, a mug of tea, my honey, and a summer fruit salad
... the sights, sounds, tastes and sensations of summer BBQs
...fresh corn on the cob and ice cold slices of watermellon
...summer fruits: peaches, nectarines, apricots, blueberries, strawberries, rasberries, cherries, figs...and the fruit salads they make
... summer vacations
... a good book, a cold beverage, and time to enjoy them lounging in the back yard after a day of gardening
... cool (and healthy) smoothies on a warm summer night!!
... shorts, tank tops, bathing suits, flip flops....and the cat who wears them when I'm not.
... sparkling clean windows washed by my honey
... the "dry grass sagey" smell of California (on a trail walk)
...basil picked fresh from the yard - on it's way to becoming pesto pasta
...tomatoes ripening on the vine and piles of sour cherry pits where the squirrels do their noshing
...cherry tomatoes still warm from the sun - popped into our mouths straight from the vine
...laughing with my husband about how few of our cherry tomatoes ever make it into the house and a "real" meal
...the first ripe figs of the year! (and beating the squirrels to them)
...bird netting which works equally well against squirrels
...brunch in the courtyard with the Sunday paper, oatmeal, a mug of tea, my honey, and a summer fruit salad
... the sights, sounds, tastes and sensations of summer BBQs
...fresh corn on the cob and ice cold slices of watermellon
...summer fruits: peaches, nectarines, apricots, blueberries, strawberries, rasberries, cherries, figs...and the fruit salads they make
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| 8 fruit salad - 10 if you count white and yellow peach and nectarines separately |
... summer vacations
... going barefoot
....summer salads. period.
... a good book, a cold beverage, and time to enjoy them lounging in the back yard after a day of gardening
... cool (and healthy) smoothies on a warm summer night!!
... shorts, tank tops, bathing suits, flip flops....and the cat who wears them when I'm not.
... sparkling clean windows washed by my honey
... the "dry grass sagey" smell of California (on a trail walk)
...basil picked fresh from the yard - on it's way to becoming pesto pasta
...thai basil - and the three course thai themed meal it inspired
...the hypnotic hum of bees and insects in the warm summer air
...one happy feral cat rolling in the sun
oh yeah - it's working! give it a try.
What are you loving this Summer?