Turn! Turn! Turn! To every season…
I starting humming this song last week when our 2nd granddaughter graduated from high school. Somewhere between pomp & circumstances and the flipping of their tassels, I thought about the seasons of life mentioned in both Ecclesiastes and this song from the 70’s by The Byrds:
To everything, turn, turn, turn There is a season turn, turn, turn, And a time for every purpose under heaven.
Maybe you also celebrated a graduation - kindergarten to college are all such sweet times and markers of time that cause us to pause. Then of course, my thoughts shifted to summer and changing up our rhythms to match the season. Hopefully you took advantage of the free “Summer to Thrive” guide offered by Jess and GATG. I look forward to these guides every year and have already downloaded mine to start working through the questions. It’s so good, get yours now! But for those who need a jumpstart or are asking, “Why do I need to think differently about summer rhythms?”…here are some ways I frame it up:
Tell your body it’s summer: a few things I intentionally do to remind my body of the season: No manicures or nail polish, salad meals at least one night/week, different ways to move my body (swimming, beach walks, hiking), later nights + later mornings, homemade ice cream often and water aerobics (to offset the ice cream)
Tell your soul it’s summer: Prayer walks with a friend, watch or listen to more comedy, restart intentional gratitude about the changes in nature, bonfires, try one spontaneous activity or new hobby/week, and chase sunsets often.
Tell your mind it’s summer: Change my reading list to include more fiction, dedicate a space or table in the house for puzzles or painting, make to-lists biweekly instead of weekly, movie nights watching classics once/week.
Once I’ve reminded my body, soul and mind it’s a new season with some practical applications, it also helps me to look at the whole summer and balance the calendar. Not unlike balancing our bank account, it helps to look at what we have planned and make sure there’s a balance of fun and play along with the harder weeks. Vacations don’t have to mean extra expense (thus unbalancing the budget) but can be as simple as staycations or days reserved for fun. If you’re solo with kiddos, swap sleepovers or combine families to lighten the load. If you’re still not convinced to slow down your summer rhythms, take a look ahead at fall and the holiday season. Remember the crunch of Christmas and the fullness of fall? Our bodies, souls, and minds need this time to refresh and renew before we’re back at it. So let’s SUMMER!
