Thursday, July 12, 2007

summer of living

Summer is the season of slow maturation and fulfillment. The quick growth of spring is ended. The harvest is yet to come. The possibilities and promises of spring now find their reality. There is little for the farmer to do but watch and water as the plants tend to themselves. Summer is a time to rest and experience and revel in what is, to simply enjoy life in the present, not life leading away from or toward anywhere or any when else.

The spiritual call of summer is to slow down. Concentrate on being instead of doing. Let the body and soul tend itself and see if the “ego-farmer” can just watch and water. Give yourself permission to relax. Take care of yourself but there’s no need to push yourself these months. Respond to the heat of the days as your body wishes, not by cranking up the AC and getting to work but by finding some shade and taking a nap if you can.

Over-booked vacations can be more stressful than work. Reserve at least part of your time off for quiet and uneventful down time. Really “vacate” even if it’s as short as a day-off in your backyard with sunscreen and the phone unplugged. Remember that the point of recreation is to re-create, to reconstitute the self that business and activity and speed (springtime living) has depleted.

The fall will arrive by itself. The earth doesn’t need you to push it around its orbit of the sun.

1 comment:

Eve said...

Advice we needed two weeks ago and am just getting now---as we sit reading blogs while Sam sleeps...it's just past 7 and the cherub realized we had not just "watched and watered" her enough. Thanks again Ricky, you are always on the mark for us, we missed you!