It's Summer, Time To Slow Down

​You don't have to be a dog in order to have days where the heat of summer makes you want to just lie on a chaise lounge on the back deck, or sip cold tea on the front porch.  Now that summer is officially here, in the USA, the temperatures are creeping up and in some areas it feels like a steam room.
 
While our bodies may willfully agree to take a seat, our busy minds may want to keep zooming along in the left lane of our brain. Experiencing a mind-body disconnect can feel like we are being pulled in two different directions, like an overstretched Gumby doll. We may feel fatigued, frustrated, antsy and maybe overwhelmed.
 
For some meditation and mindfulness helps shift the mind into a lower gear.  I've spoken with many, however, who say they can't, or don't enjoy, the trendy M practices.  Maybe yoga is your thing or tai chi?  For some people the arts help them find their center: music, painting, dancing.
 
Last weekend, on a blistering hot, sunny day, my husband and I took a walk in the woods at a nearby State Park.  The lush, green canopy of leaves and intermittent breeze, created a moist, cool room to wander through.  I brought my camera.  The slower we went, the more we saw.  The slower we went, the more the natural inhabitants of the forest went about their business; communicating with each other, scurrying through leaves for food, hovering over the lime green, algae-filled pond like a spaceship.
 
I stopped to take some pictures.  Before long, my husband was asking to borrow the camera-each of us discovering something different while standing right next to each other.  I have to admit, at first I got a little cranky being pulled out of my one-on-one moment with a dragon fly, who finally landed on a branch in a way that I could capture its glorious wings.  But, I took a deep breathe, and reminded myself that it was more important to enjoy the moment watching my husband find that calm, in the now space, with a frog I didn't even notice was near us.
 
Here is a sampling of our photos:

​Summer is a time to savor, ponder, explore, relax, and create memories.  Our natural environment displays a unique show during this time.  Maybe you will want to get out and enjoy the free show.   As the thermometer rises and the evenings are filled with light, how will you slow down and enjoy the season?