Summer Solstice
Happy Summer Solstice! I am really appreciating my time off to integrate, embrace the current ease in my life, and feel an immense amount of gratitude. Last night I welcomed in the summer solstice with a random adventure, which served as an important reminder for me. I signed up for a stand up paddle board yoga class on the Pocasset River in Cape Cod. I am trying to take advantage of vacation and the free babysitting that I have when I visit family, and I always love trying new things. My aunt works at a wellness center and yoga studio down in Onset that was hosting the event, but she could not attend the event last minute. I invited two friends to attend, but they were running late and then ended up not attending due to a miscommunication (they didn’t understand that it was a yoga class–drove all the way there, got intimidated, and then decided it wasn’t for them). Nevertheless, I was determined to honor this time for myself especially in the wake of the summer solstice and full moon, so I borrowed my husband’s truck, drove myself over the Bourne Bridge, joined this class with 4 other yogis whom I had never met, and hopped on a paddle board for the 2nd time in my entire life and took this class.
At first I had my reservations about this class, especially when I didn’t even know which side was the front of the paddle board, but I decided to go with the flow and embrace the ease. I didn’t think about my friends who drove 45 minutes for this class and then didn’t attend. I didn’t think about the intimidating drive in the big truck over the bridge. I let it all go and completely embraced the ease. I allowed myself to listen to the sounds of nature and take in the beauty of the river. I allowed myself to lean into the discomfort of not being perfect–at both paddle boarding and yoga. My experience at the SUP class was amazing. It reminded me to put myself out there and how life truly begins at the end of your comfort zone. It was exciting and invigorating, and the best part was I did it on my own.
After class I was able to catch up with those 2 friends for dinner and have a great time. I am blessed to have such wonderful people in my life and to keep in touch with them even though I live so far away. I am blessed to be able to come home in the summer to reconnect and uncover parts of myself that make me who I am. The sense of adventure, the sense of community—that all makes me whole. The paddle boarding experience was an important reminder about the power of stepping outside of your comfort zone and doing it with ease. The time with old friends reminds me that I really do belong. My brand energy words that connect with this are transformational–I really transform when I push myself out of my comfort zone and belonging–I am the type of person who craves that sense of belonging and community and if either of these things are absent from my life, I just do not feel whole.
And I have also realized that all the years that I lived in Massachusetts, I don’t think I have appreciated its beauty as much as I have been this summer. I have been savoring and enjoying this vacation so much–from time with old friends, time with family, watching my daughter connect with my home state and people, going on date nights with my husband, attending yoga classes, sitting out by the water as I write this post–I am just really grateful.
If these 30 days of ease and this summer solstice is any indication, the upcoming school year is going to be filled with ease and adventure. I plan to bottle up all of this good vibes and carry them with me back to SC.
