Beaches, campfires, top-down car rides… Summer has the unique ability to make us feel free. Movie scenes, book scenes, memory scenes run through my mind. I can almost feel the seasalt air on my face. Youthful and carefree. Ahhh….
But what if we take it further? I don’t mean circling back to youth. (Pics of adults recreating their youthful photos remind us how that would go.) I mean take it further by slowly, carefully, lovingly taking that summer feeling out of its bubble of perfection. Then, once it’s out of the bubble, sprinkle it into our current real life. Where do we begin?
Those summer scenes are in nature, right? Well that is an easy place to begin. Spending a few minutes outside opens up our senses, which takes us out of our head. Feeling the breeze on our skin, the grass under our feet. Feeling our outside body gives us something to think about other than our worries. Remember, we are popping the bubble here. If we are going to sprinkle this into our real life, this probably means outside in the backyard for a few minutes. Or a 15 minute walk. If it looks like rain, bring an umbrella.
Next is connection. Those summer scenes in our summer bubble are not solitary. Over and over research points right at our connections as the key to longevity and well-being. Just walking next to someone. Laughing next to someone. Having someone reach for us when we trip. (Real life, right?) Our relationship doesn’t have to be bubbly perfect, but we do need to reach out for someone if we want to sprinkle this important piece into our current life.
If we unpack that summer scene even further, we get to another kind of connection. For a brief moment, inside that bubble we felt like the universe was taking care of us. That life would turn out. Ok, that’s a bit ideal, but let’s not roll our knowing eyes quite yet. We were on the right track. We are being cared for. We are seen and watched out for. Not in an idealistic kind of way, but in a universal kind of way. There you go – a sprinkle.
Finally, we can’t forget about the practical pieces. We were moving and active, then tired enough to fall down onto a beach towel and rest. This isn’t the same as working our jobs and going to bed braindead. This is getting out and moving our bodies, getting a bit winded and needing to sit down for a moment. Physical movement, physical rest.
Yoga philosophy defines memories as thought waves called Vritti. Vritti waves can distort our everyday lives by washing in unhelpful debris. (For example, “life was so much easier back then…”) But if we pop the bubble, our Vritti waves have the ability to carry wisdom into our life.
Seeing clearly isn’t looking longingly back, but looking straight ahead. Seeing all the obstacles in our way. Maybe that is the true rainbow we’ve been praying for.
Until next time,
Laura