What summer is to me...

As summer comes to its end, I find myself looking over these past few months, and really thinking about what has made this summer really feel like summer. And I've come up with a list of things that, for me, really make summer.

• Beach. Walking on the sand, playing in the waves, feeling the sand under your toes.
• Bonus is spending time on the board walk with friends, checking out the pier.
• Summer's Song. The symphony of cicadas in the evenings.
• Going to the pool. This really has become a summer treat for me.
• Farmer's Markets. Fresh veggies and supporting the locals. Love it.
• Vacation from schooling. Time off to enjoy the outdoors.
• Berries and cherries. Freshly picked.
• Picnics and dinning outdoors.
• Swimming. Be it in a pool or a lake, swimming outdoors in it - is summer.
• Cucumbers. Grown in my own backyard. 
• Flowers and butterflies.

Yes, these things mean summer to me. 

Life Shifts

One day, you find yourself trapped in a box of your own making that limits you in ways you weren't aware of. Perhaps you wake up and realize what you've been missing, or maybe suddenly you can clearly see the walls of your own creation. And then, you have a choice. Will you stay in the box? Or will you let the walls fall and move forward into the world outside?

This last week, I let my walls fall. I took a deep breathe, and stepped out and did things I haven't done before. It was scary at first, but seriously invigorating proving to myself that YES, I CAN do this. And do it I did. And I did it again. And again.

And I made a decision, maybe more than one, to really LIVE and embrace my life. I didn't realize I wasn't doing that until recently. And it's made a huge difference.

With a simple shift in perspective, I have shifted my life. And I'm quite happy with the results.

The Dragon Fly

I'm about to get spiritual, and write about symbolism and totems. So, if that's not your thing, you can skip this post.

Lately, I've been seeing dragon flies a lot. I've even considered getting a tatoo of one, because I find them so beautiful. In my bedroom, hangs a card from a friend, with two dragon flies dancing amongst the cattails and the moon. In my bathroom, is a watercolor of a dragonfly I found in a book, that I had to frame. And then, there was the visit to the farm, where my husband became obsessed with photographing butterflies and dragonflies.

I've looked them up before, and they've applied, but when a friend sent me a link today, about the dragonfly and the swan, I knew that it was time to look into this a bit further. Especially, because the story was too in tune, and too spot on in regards to things.

And so, I found this site: http://www.dragonfly-site.com/meaning-symbolize.htm

And found it incredibly applicable to my life and the situations that I'm dealing with, in many ways.


For one thing, I'm dealing with a lot of change this year. And I mean a lot. Change is interesting. It pushes us from our comfort zone, provides the opportunity to submit or fight it, to embrace or complain about it. I'm not crazy about change in the least. Maybe because I've been dealing with more than I'd like to this year. Most of it has been good for me, but there is a part of me that is scared by it.

I did find some comfort in the information on the dragonfly though. I am indeed experiencing a change in self-realization, which is indeed connected to my mental and emotional maturity. And yeah, I've been coming across things tied into the deeper meaning of life. I found it interesting, how the dragonfly starts in water (emotions) then prepares to fly in the air (spirit). Especially because I've been rediscovering my spirituality, and what it means to me in a sense.


And then there is how it is linked to "elegance and grace". I've a fondness for grace, don't you know... :)

The section on the defeat of self-created illusions (of which I'm might have a few), and the association with "the discovery of one’s own abilities by unmasking the real self and removing the doubts one casts on his/her own sense of identity" well, let's just say that's been happening. In the last year or two, my sense of self has been torn open, exposed until raw, and now I'm working on the healing of it. I'm not too sure of my identity, but I do know that I'm on a journey to face my fears and let go of inhibitions.

Ah, and we come to the living in the moment. This has become SO important as of late. Especially in terms of my children. I've been holding them close, taking them in, making the most of my time with them. But this, this really gets me thinking: "By living in the moment you are aware of who you are, where you are, what you are doing, what you want, what you don’t and make informed choices on a moment-to-moment basis."

And so, I guess I'll keep my eyes open. Between the dragonflies and the butterflies (also a symbol of change), there is something going on. And I must admit, that I find the coincidences, or synchronicity most interesting.

Welcome August

I knew it was coming. I could hear the symphony of cicadas singing of it. And here it is.

At first, I felt the pangs of loss for June and July. For they seemed to have breezed by, and there was more I wanted to do. And July contained gifts that were welcomed and those that were not. Gifts come in strange forms, but they are gifts none-the-less.

And now, with August here, I am diving in with a zest I wasn't aware of. I am making plans that I otherwise would not have. I feel inspired and giddy.
I am filled with delight at the possibilities. And the sure sense, that I can do this.