Showing posts with label summer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label summer. Show all posts

Thursday, August 22, 2013

The Heat of Summer



Fever.

Every couple of summers or so I pick up a summer flu or infection of some kind that knocks me onto the couch and under blankets.  Though summer sicknesses never seem to linger the way a winter bug will, it always feels somehow worse than in other seasons.  I know that this is entirely psychological.  Summer is the season of fun and vacations and running around outside, not the season of tea and cuddling up in the early evening, being sick isn't in the plan.  What is valuable though, is the reminder that true illness or injury, major accidents, cancer, diabetes, is never in the plan, they have no convenient season.  While spending a day or two watching movies and sipping soup might be a summer in the sunny season, days of doctors appointments, treatments with debilitating side effects, and week to months of recovery is far worse.  Losing even a day or two, seeing how quickly we fall behind in life, how much there is to miss, is a really good reminder to take good care of ourselves.  Prevention is a practice that is entirely within our control, even if it's not something that is fostered by our dominant culture.

Be well.  Stay healthy.  Make good choices.




Monday, June 10, 2013

The Good Life



Roll.

I think that life gets so busy and filled up with responsibilities, challenges, unexpected events, and planning for  future happiness that we forget that any happiness we may receive in our lives will most certainly happen in the present moment.  There is no great future event or epiphany or other life that we could be living.  Hard work and good planning are no guarantee.  The only time that we can be sure of our own happiness is right now.  

An early summer roll call of happy things:

Freshly planted vegetable starts
Campfire
The longest days of the year
Blueberries
An evening glass of wine
Alpine hiking
The last of the Tiger Lilies  
Sunshine

Don't let things get you down.

Snoopy and Woodstock on life's frustrations, domestic bliss and best intentions:

Photograph Courtesy of W Magazine.  To see the entire collection: