It’s Summer Solstice, and the days will begin to grow shorter as Summer begins!
NOW is the time to enjoy the long summer evenings. Be sure to set aside time to just relax outdoors during these summer days.
Set aside some tasks if you need to, to immerse yourself in this season of gratitude for the fruits, radiance and awakenings of summer. Just bask in the barefooted pleasure of it, as you are able.
Find those moments of the day that are the perfect temperature, and enjoy them.
Enjoy the clouds, the plants, the air…give yourself time to just sit and appreciate all that you’ve accomplished so far this year, as the big wheel of the year slowly turns toward completion rather than growth.
Here’s a lovely quote shared in Carrie-Anne Moss’s newsletter:
Say “no” to invitations. Sleep in. Turn off the alarms and the telephones. Allow for slow, lazy mornings filled with casual breakfasts—like melons eaten with a spoon, bowls full of berries, and family-made pancakes. Let your evenings be easy. Stay late at the pool or the creek and make something simple for dinner. Let them eat only bread, cheese, and tomatoes, and call it a meal. Let movies be more okay more often.”
—Sadie Rose Casey, Song for Summer
I like to envision the year as a circle, going clockwise, with Summer at the top. I can envision myself sitting at the top of the seasonal wheel, in the full sun and the summer expression of play and pleasure outdoors, before gradually descending downward toward Winter when I’ll be sitting at the bottom of the cycle, firmly rooted into the earth with its longer nights for dreamtime.
The evenings grow shorter by about half an hour each month; sunset at 8pm now will become 7:30 pm in a month.
Even though I anticipate this well ahead of time, being as in tune with nature’s cycles as I am, it’s always a disappointment to know that the longest days have come and gone!
I’ve learned to cherish the summer evenings, and make time to putter in my yard, just walk around, and otherwise enjoy the languorous feeling of these longest days.
Many years ago I was indoors a lot in the evenings, due to my work schedule. One week I was just miserable, wanted to quit my job, and realized I’d be indoors every evening that week, and really craved to just be outside!
I rearranged my schedule so I could be outside one evening that week, puttering around in my yard.
That long evening – just one – refreshed me so much that I was much happier going back to work the next day. The air was warm and the moon was full, adding to the beauty and mystery of the moment, as I was able to linger and continue pulling weeds at a leisurely pace, well after dark.
How do you most enjoy summer? Do you have certain things that you look forward to, or set aside time for? Is there anything you can reschedule, to open up some time for yourself?
Share your thoughts and favorites below!
