“In the rush to return to normal, use this time to consider which parts of normal are worth rushing back to.”
-Dave Hollis
“Live in fertile soil. Take in nutrients like your life depends on it. Breathe fresh air, in and out. Take a break from the rapids, surrender, and the current will either carry you or kick you out towards its gentle edges. Move away from depleting habitats. Leave a sedentary mind and body for the one that is waiting for you on the other side of this and any other present uncertainty. Your future gains certainty when you rise, like your voluntary breath, actively inspiring, consciously and unconsciously inhaling and exhaling.”
-Erika Putnam
Tag Archives: Summer
August
“Remember to be gentle with yourself and others. We are all children of chance and none can say why some fields will blossom while others lay brown beneath the August sun.”
-Kent Nerburn
“Breathe the sweetness that hovers in August”
-Denise Levertov
Meditations on Summer – A Gallery of Photos
(*You can click onto any individual image to see a full size version, and then click the right hand arrow to see all images in full size.)
“The summer night is like a perfection of thought.”
-Wallace Stevens
“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.”
― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
“Then followed that beautiful season… Summer….
Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape
Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood.”
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
“
Sweet Solstice, Sweet Summer!
“There is a pleasure in the pathless woods
There is a rapture on the lonely shore
There is society, where none intrudes
By the deep sea and music in its roar
I love not man the less
but nature more.
-Lord Bryon
Sweet Solstice! The nectar of summer absorbed by all of the senses…
The layers of myriad greens, the sensuous breeze, the fragrances of pine and honeysuckle and wild roses, the raven song, the textures of grass under bare legs…. these small yet large, simple yet complex pleasures feed my soul.
Happy Summer, Happy Solstice, Happy Long Languid Days!!
Summer of Love
Summer 2015 has truly been a summer of love. A season filled to brimming with jubilant, sincere, joyous weddings where families and friends came together in celebration and support of couples committing to a partnership through life.
The vows, the radiance, the hope, the steadfast support of family and friends, the beauty, all made for days filled with wonder, deep love, and all the sweet and touching scenes that now reside as forever memories.
It’s so much more than wedding planning! This crazy, busy season has ultimately been a privilege and a pleasure. To share these intimate, sacred, uniquely personal, celebrations of Love, is a honor.
Forever memories were made for me too!
So here’s to Renee & Ric, Fawn & Rick, Lizzie & Alec, Beth & Lucas, Robin & Tyler, Sarah & John, Sara & Kyle and Dane & Nate. May you respect and honor each other as lovers and friends, as confidants and companions on life’s journey. I have faith in each and every one of you to take care of each other, and that you will always honor and keep each other.
All you need is Love.
“In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you.”
-Buddha
The Art of Napping
Summertime and the livin’ is easy. And simple. And very sweet.
Feeling the energy of the fully evolved season, we meet Summer head on… then need a rest, a nap, a respite.
“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the blue sky, is by no means waste of time.”
-John Lubbock, “Recreation,” The Use of Life, 1894
From The Sapphire Girl’s August book club “extra” selection, The Art of Doing Nothing, by Veronique Vienne, here’s some sage advice on napping inside (but hammocks under a shade tree are also highly recommended!):
“Recipe for a Gourmet Nap
The long afternoon nap is for sleep connoisseurs – it’s an after-dessert delicacy. To make sure you wake up refreshed, follow these easy steps.
1. If you don’t have shutters, draw the blinds or the curtains. The room should be bathed in a soft, restful glow. 2. Kick off your shoes. Only remove garments that are constricting or that would rumple badly. You want to be somewhat dressed up for the occasion. The gourmet nap is a formal affair. 3. Glance at the clock, take off your watch, and decide when you want to wake up. Trust your subconscious to nudge you when your time is up. 4. Lie down under the covers but not between the sheets. 5. Close your eyes and image that you are in a small boat, about to embark on a short journey. Pull up the anchor and let the boat drift. The water may feel choppy at first, but soon the waves will diminish and you’ll be sailing on a smooth sea. 6. You’ll be awakened by a bump – your keel is scraping a sandy bottom. Drag yourself out of bed slowly, as if you were pulling your skiff onto a beach. 7. Throw water on your face, stretch, open the window. Don’t rush. You’ve plenty of time ahead of you.”