Self-care and the Fullness of Summer ...

And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves ...

I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning 

over again with the summer.

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Hi everyone - Happy Summer Solstice for yesterday!

Summer is finally here - the season of growth, ripening, fullness and veriditas when white blossoms turn into plump berries, trees become lush symphonies of green, and orchards hang heavy with a cornucopia of sun-warmed fruits. It can also be a time for growth and ripening in our own lives.

Traditionally, the summer months provide us with time to slow our pace, to rest and refresh, and to nurture our creative gifts. There is more time to listen in the silence, to reconnect with the rhythms of nature and to ponder whatever fresh springs are arising from deep within us.

As we make time to feed our empty-ish bodies and souls through living more simply and well - resting, reading, meditating, exercising, resting, connecting, eating well, resting - we may find that our hearts begin to fill with a sense of restoration and gratitude. And we may begin to experience a deep contentment. As author, Christine Paintner, says:

This (contentment) isn't a kind of resigned feeling of being happy with what you have, but a vibrant, even ecstatic joy at the abundance of life. To feel gratitude and awe that we have anything at all, much less a home, work, food, health, and friendship, knowing that any one of those is grace enough.

From this filling up and its vibrant contentment, can come a reawakening of our creative juices. Ideas for life changes, new projects and artistic expression can bubble into our consciousness, unbidden. Thoughts can flow with ease. We find that there is, once again, a feeling of aliveness, fullness and abundance within us.

It all begins with a choice to start over once again - to slow the pace and take small steps toward improving our self care. What about you? Are there places in your life that need a chance to fill up and grow into juicy ripeness this summer? What are your plans for this season of abundance? Is there any way at all that you can s-l-o-w things down and intentionally make some space for your own restoration? If you need some encouragement to make this choice, try reading Christine Paintner's recent and wonderful poem about feeling your body and spirit come back to life as the sap rises:

How to Feel the Sap Rising

(A poem for summer)

Walk as slowly as possible,

all the while imagining 

yourself moving through

pools of honey and dancing with

snails, turtles, and caterpillars.

Turn your body in a clockwise direction

to inspire your dreams to flow upward. 

Imagine the trees are your own

wise ancestors offering their emerald

leaves to you as a sacred text.

Lay yourself down across the earth

and stones. Feel the vibration of

dirt and moss, sparking a tiny

(or tremendous)

revolution in your heart

with their own great longing.

Close your eyes and forget this

border of skin. Imagine the

breeze blowing through your hair

is the breath of the forest and

your own breath joined, rising and

falling in ancient rhythms.

Open your eyes again and see it

is true, that there is no "me" and "tree"

but only One great pulsing of life,

one sap which nourishes and 

enlivens all, one great nectar

bestowing trust and wonder.

Open your eyes and see that there

are no more words like beautiful

and ugly, good and bad,

but only the shimmering presence of your

own attention to life.

Only one great miracle unfolding and

only one sacred word which is

yes.

Christine Valters Painter

Happy summer!

30x30 Challenge: You. Outside. In Nature.

It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes 

a claim upon men's hearts, as for that subtle something,

that quality of air, that emanation from old trees, 

that so wonderfully changes and renews

a weary spirit.

Robert Louis Stevenson

Hi everyone! Mea culpa, mea culpa - I'm completely remiss in writing this post so far into the month of May. I had heard of David Suzuki's 30x30 Challenge back in April and had meant to share it with you at the beginning of the month but, with the busyness of workshops in Prince George, Kamloops, Kelowna, and Maple Ridge, I completely forgot. 

It wasn't until I was driving to the pool at lunchtime today and heard David interviewed on CBC's Q with Jian Ghomeshi  that the penny dropped. So, here is the post - better late than never. (You could join me in taking up the challenge a week late and just extend your commitment an extra week into June - or even continue it on throughout the year!)

Those of us who spend our time caring for others may be shocked, when asked, to discover that it's been months or even years since we last lay in the grass staring up at the sky or stood close to a tree breathing in the cool air descending from its branches or picked sun-warmed salmon berries or blackberries from a bush in the local woods. It is so easy to shift our attention away from Nature but we do so at our own peril.

It is our hearts and minds, disconnected from our natural environment, that pose the greatest threat to the sustainability of our planet. If we don't have an intimate relationship with Mother Earth, we won't care what happens to her, and if we don't care what happens to her, we won't act on her (and our own) behalf.

So, What is the Challenge? 

The David Suzuki Foundation's 30x30 Challenge offers us the opportunity to reinvest in our relationship with Mother Earth and with ourselves and families. The challenge is simple, though for some, perhaps not easy. It asks Canadians to commit to spending 30 minutes in nature each day for 30 days, starting on May 1st (oops!).

All you have to do is to join the challenge on the Foundation website and then get out in nature for at least 30 minutes for 30 days. The website offers opportunities for individuals or whole workplaces to sign up and goes on to offer tips and inspiration to get you started. There is also a chance to submit photos from your encounters with Nature for weekly prizes and, if you complete the opening and closing surveys, you can win a prize package from Genuine Health.

The greatest benefits, though, will be to your own life and to the life of the planet. (See these great website graphics for a rundown.) As David says:

2 minutes exposure to nature

relieves stress as measured by muscle tension, blood pressure & brain activity

2 hours exposure to nature

improves memory performance and attention span by 20%+

2 days consecutive exposure to nature

boosts levels of cancer fighting white blood cells by 50%

Why would we not do this?? 

Even family caregivers can ask family, friends or caregiving professionals to be with their care recipients for 30 minutes a day so they can walk or sit under a tree in their garden or park and soak up the scenery. There's so much to gain that it's worth starting right now. (And if 30 minutes is completely beyond you, why not try 5 minutes and gradually work your way up?)

I'm starting tonight, with a good brisk sit at the Lake. (Well, I have already done an hour of aerobic aqua-fit today...) Why not join me by getting out into your own neighbourhood green spaces? You, like this woman, will be glad you did! 

Self Care...

Today has been one of those wonderful self care days... 

A few chores done around the house to the classical music of BBC's Radio 3.  A walk-run by the lake during the one hour of golden sunshine this morning (-this is Vancouver, after all).  An afternoon spent drinking London Lady Afternoon Tea and reading Richard Wagamese' beautifully written new memoir, One Native Life. (Truly a triumph of healing and hope.)  

A delicious dinner this evening, if I do say so myself, of vegetarian lasagne made with whole wheat pasta and organic vegetables.  And now I plan to have a hot shower, curl my feet up in a long flannel nightgown and knit away on a sweater for my new great granddaughter, Addison Paige, born Oct 13th.  (A gift of marrying an older man is having great grandchildren while you're still young enough to enjoy them!)   

As an off-the-scale introvert who has spent a busy weekend with family and friends, this is the sort of day that refuels and refreshes me.  I've learned that, as much as I love the people around me, I need regular time alone to lower my level of stimulation and to explore the rich inner world of feelings and ideas.  What kind of day - or hour or few minutes - refreshes you? Do you know? Do you know how to give that gift to yourself without feeling guilty or selfish?  

The truth is that everyone around us benefits when we take time out for ourselves - just as everyone around us suffers when we don't!  I hope that you will find a day this week where there are at least a few hours that you can claim for yourself.  It is truly worth the search.