Somehow, we made it to summer! Yesterday was the yearly summer solstice — most of us probably recall from our elementary school years that this represents the longest day of the annual cycle. And with that, we move into a new season and a lot more…
School’s out for a couple of months, some kids may be off to camp, families going on a va- or stay-cation, we all get to experience high heat and humidity, long days, lots of sun, and bounteous local veggies and fruit, among other things. Perhaps your summer work schedule slows a bit; maybe you’ll be off visiting friends and family, or they’re coming to you. Are you a griller? It’s a great time of year for that too! What about all those activities on and in the water?
We are so blessed to live in a fabulous area for all these experiences. So, despite all the ongoing political nastiness and craziness, we have new opportunities to de-stress while chasing a few of our dreams and favorite people and things to do.
We read, hear, and speak about balancing our lives between work and play, between effort and leisure, and relaxation and recreation. The hope from here is that all readers and their loved ones make and take the time to stretch without stressing themselves.
Given how wild and weird and crazy every news cycle is, it can be difficult to allow ourselves to “let down” and take time for less rigorous and vigorous pursuits for at least a brief period of time. There’s always more we could do to set things right, make things better — yes? So it may seem a contradiction to come across someone imploring you to take time for yourself and your loved ones rather than always pushing yourself full-on.
One thing all beings have in common is the shortage or brevity of time over our lifespans. So often we feel pushed into doing what we “must,” whether as workers, wage-earners, students, parents, spouses, partners, and members of groups, teams, programs, and services. I am of the belief that we live to work, and that’s important, but that there’s more to it than that. We also work in order to live.
To me, part of the art of living happily, healthily, and successfully is about learning how to adapt our lifestyles to include ease and rest and personal connection and fun. While each New England season brings new opportunities, summer may in some ways be the most relaxing of all. It can be a gift of time to enable us to activate our curiosity and creativity, to try out new art forms, sports, hobbies, and friendships.
It’s likely that nothing shared here to this point is particularly new to you. But encouraging reminders can be helpful if strategically placed and offered. Growth is never linear — always there are bumps, stumbles, and obstacles along any road in life. Sometimes we have to recircle and come back to hearing something more than once, even twice, to help us to keep on our paths.
Even if there’s nothing especially transitional about summer for you, there is still a possibility that you can shift things a bit in your daily regimen to provide you with time and space to be and do what you are passionate about. But… we all have a generalized awareness that making change can be challenging.
Let me share a few words about ‘challenge.” Often, negative words may come to mind when we consider taking on a challenge. Challenges can be hard, stressful, off-putting, laden with mistakes, and test our confidence and competence. Some challenges present a few if not many of these terms.
But challenge also allows for growth, development, and the twinned words I consider so essential: change and challenge allow us to move forward in our human evolution and our human revolution. Even the positive side of stress exists, and yes, there is a word for that too: eustress!
Summertime opens me up: I am more at ease doing the things I love: being in my garden, making and taking a picnic, a quick jump in a pool, an afternoon of kayaking on a quiet lake or river, friends over for a home-cooked dinner served outdoors, a walk in the woods with a friend, reading a long-awaited book in a hammock.
No doubt you have yours, whether it’s a bucket-list of goodies or a chance to revisit a favorite place or person, or anything else. I find that I am happier and more fulfilled when I am doing summer in a calm and peaceful manner. I also know that doing so is both invigorating and rejuvenating — and that makes it so much easier to go and grow with greater positivity into fall and winter, and beyond.
How do you want to grow and change, add new activities or pursuits? What are you open to this summer? This is a time to begin to actualize our visions and dreams while we also must continue to do daily battle with the stresses of living in an increasingly crazed world.
Daniel Cantor Yalowitz, Ed.D., writes a regular column for the Recorder. He in an intercultural and developmental psychologist and writes about issues focused on human and civil rights, human values, and his ongoing commitment to create a better world for us all. Reach out to him at danielcyalowitz@gmail.com.