Welcome to August.
It’s hard to believe we are already here. But the signs are popping up in my peripheral vision, no matter how much I try to look away. The Big Box store’s back-to-school section is fully stocked. The leaves are beginning to turn away from green. Spiders seem to be spinning more webs, the strands highlighted by the slanted rays of the sun.
The lazy days of summer are starting to accelerate towards the pace of fall. And with that come all of the lists. Lists reminding us of the supply-shopping, the sports-physical-appointmenting, the calendar-planning, meal-strategizing, activity-assessing. Lists listing all. Of. The. Things.
There’s just one problem with our very complete lists. We’re missing the most important item.
Ourselves.
We’ve spent the summer organizing everyone else’s fun. And without seeing it, it can leave us tender and wistful. Filled with a longing we can’t quite identify. Because it is hard to see that we’ve forgotten ourselves.
And some of you are nodding your heads. Feeling this truth seep in–I forgot me.
And others are thinking no way. I have been doing things for me. I’ve been exercising or salad eating or cushion-sitting meditating. Uh-huh. Those are great. Those are important. Those are already on the list.
What is missing is what isn’t on the list. Taking up space to be you.
What do you look like on the list?
Stepping outside the back door in your pj’s, morning coffee in hand, to feel the wet grass on your feet.
Making a playlist for the car that involves not a single song for someone under the age of 10.
Calling a friend you haven’t seen in forever–not to do the full-family catch up, but simply to say remember that crazy time we did….
Do you have your list handy? In a calendar? On your phone? In your head? On a scrap of paper? I’ll hang out here until you grab it. Now, up near the top, write this in: Joy (single-sized serving. Just for me.)
Then add it to tomorrow’s list. And then again for the day after. And againandagainandagain. Each and every day this week—joy—just for you.
And when you reach that part of your list, when you are ready for that moment of joy, lean in. Take a deep breath and take up space. Don’t apologize for it. Or shoe-horn it in. Let everyone around you know, this is me. This is my joy.
And it lives at the top of my list.
- Want to go back and (re) read Week One? It’s all about belonging.
- For Week Two it is about listening to our own voice and the owl outside my window.
- Rubber Ducky, you’re the one (and how we watch our emotions, instead of get hooked by them) for Week Three.
- And the importance of yams (and letting go of what we expect will happen) for Week Four.
- Week Five was all about trying it over again. Hello, Mulligan.
- I love hearing from you. And I’d love to know all about your summer so far. You can send me an email, or join the facebook conversation here.
Have friends you know will love Summer of Love? You can forward this email and they can click right here to get all signed up. Love the Love!
Xoxo,