Summer is a time to PLAY and revel in the ABUNDANCE of natural resources that surround us--like WATER, SUNSHINE, RAIN (OK, not so much of that around the Midwest... at least this year), and the lush or not so lush terrain around us.
Have you taken the time to play yet??
So, this year with the record heat wave that blazed in June, I purchased two blow-up water mattresses at Target to cool off and play at the beach like I did as a kid. Such JOY found in those simple pleasures!!
Hey, who says a 61-year-old can't put on her bikini and float in the lake with her varicose veins and cellulite thighs....? I don't care what others think at this age (especially when I went back to Cedar Beach {my old stomping grounds} that I used to spend almost every summer day in the city with my Jr. High school friends). Yes, I was transported back to the days of boy crushes, and suntanned bikini lines... Also, the music of the era...
Does the song "Lean on Me" by Bill Withers take you back to the playful days of your youth, like it does to me? Listening to music can be a form or play too... especially if you sing or dance to it. Yep, I go right back to Cedar beach on that one. Give a listen here.
Now here is a question for you... Does PLAY come hard for you? Do you feel like you have to get all your work done first before you can justify playing? Or is playing something that can fuel your energy source to get your work done faster later on?
I must admit, I'm a bit of the later...almost to a fault. I blame it on my mother and am so grateful to her. She taught me early on the value of play. She was a master at it.
She said, "Amy, it is always good to schedule a play day in the week" (and hers was Wednesday).
My mother also taught me the joy of a skinny dip before breakfast or bed, to explore new places and try new things, to keep moving your body in ways you enjoy (hers was tennis, golf, dancing and later in life water aerobics) and connecting to people you care about in conversations that spoke to the heart.
I have to tell you she could get more done in a day (and that included fun), and her calendar was booked up solid until the day she died at age 84. She knew how to live life full-out until she died suddenly in her kitchen one night. Hard not to have time to say goodbye, but happy she went out the way she prayed for.
I learned a lot from her on the value of PLAY and am grateful she gave me permission to do it full out! Now I am passing that on to you and giving you all permission to play like you did as a child.
.
I ask you, what was fun for you to do and play with as a child? Whatever the answer, do more of that.
Another option is to take out a pen and paper and make a bucket list of your top 10 things you want to do this summer that is fun and playful. It can be a simple as eating watermelon and spitting the seeds as far as you can, kayaking down a river or lake or reading a book in a hammock... Or as adventurous as taking a road trip to the Black Hills or a National Park and hiking/camping. I checked off my bucket list, a fun walk from Minnehaha falls to the Mississippi River last weekend.
This is YOUR SUMMER to enjoy as much as you can...Trust me when I say, your body and soul will thank you!!
Shine on,
Amy