Ah, summer, a time to slow down, relax, and play….
Summertime and vacations provide the perfect opportunity to live with mindfulness.
When we are out of our usual routine, our sense of awareness can be heightened. What better time to practice living in the present moment.
Personally, vacationing makes it is easier for me to live in the present moment. However, it hasn’t always been that way.
For the past thirty-plus years, my sister and I have taken a vacation together. No one else is invited. It’s just the two of us. It is a wonderful time and one we both treasure.
When we started our “sister’s trips”, I would have a great time until the last two days. At that point, I’d begin dreading the end of our time together. I would get angry and depressed and create two days of feeling miserable. My sister and I talked about this and I gave it a great deal of thought.
What became clear to me was that my experience changed when I moved away from that place of living in the present. Once I understood this, I was able to bring myself back to the present and enjoy the rest of my vacation.
Here are a couple thing that I learned from this experience:
- Living in a conscious way provides a richer, more joyful experience.
- There is freedom in observing things as they are right now without judgement or criticism.
- Life is much easier when I let the experience be what it is.
- Loving acceptance comes from allowing myself to be as I am right now.
Summertime is the perfect time to visit and play with friends and family, to see new sights or old sights with new eyes.
To paraphrase Jon Kabat-Zinn, paying attention, allows one to be more fully awake to life.
Happy Summer!
Take care,
Kate
