Every year I wait for summer to arrive. It’s what gets me through the blustering winter, the memory of sandy shores and salty air. When I’m bundling up for the cold, I’m thinking wistfully of flip flops. I keep dishes of sea glass around my house, and images of summer gardens. It is my absolute favourite time of year. (There are no winter pictures to help me through summer, that is for damned sure!)

And every year, it goes by way too fast.

I’m a teacher, so I’m lucky to be off in the summer. But the time crunch of full-time work and managing a house, of getting to yoga class and visiting family, means that there is little time left to “get things done.” So typically, I make a nice long list of all the things I need to do over the summer that I didn’t have time for throughout the school year.

And summer inevitably passes me by.

So this year, I am starting with a single intention: to slow down summer. And I’m going to pull from my mindfulness practices to do just that.

This year, I my to-do list looks a little different. Here are a few of the things on my list:

• Spend afternoons getting lost in a book
• Meander through the forest
• Practice yoga as the sun comes up
• Capture tiny details with my camera
• Float around the pool while listening to music
• Remember how to write poetry
• Meditate outdoors
• Enjoy endless affogatos under the hot sun
• Stand barefoot in the grass
• Take slow walks on the beach, searching for sea glass

Instead of rushing through summer, I want to savour every moment. There are only so many summers to be had, after all.

Wishing you a wonderfully slow summer. ☀️

Thanks for reading.

💛 Dawn