Today is going to be hot so I ran before I sat down to write. I live at the foothills of the Rockies and today my run took me through the mountains. I felt so good to back into nature. During my run I stopped to walk through this beautiful meadow filled with wildflowers. Nature soothes me at every level. When I am surrounded by such natural beauty: my body feels relaxed; my mind slows down and hums with the bees; my heart feels expansive and open; my soul feels like it is free in the cathedral of the trees.
I needed the respite from the busy and buzzy days of the city and all I have been doing lately. Summer is time for play and to enjoy life. Vacations are for breaking out of the groove of life and to relax and take pleasure in the fruits of your labor. You and I do and do and do. Does it ever seem to you like there never is any time to take a break, to just sit and feel the enjoyment of being alive?
There are driving forces in you and I that serve us well. You want to provide for you and possibly a family. You want to have the money you need to do what you want in your life. You want to be healthy. You want your life to be a success. These forces for your good are natural and powerful. They however can drive you to ignore the most important things in life like, having love, enjoying life, being at peace and experiencing freedom.
The doing of life is important but so is the being of life. You need to have love or your heart will ache. You need joy or the smile on your face will disappear. You need to find peace inside or you will be filled with discontent. You need to know freedom or your world will feel trapped. Here are some steps to make sure your priorities are pay attention to in your daily life:
1. Make a plan each day to express love. If you are not in a relationship then love yourself and spread your love through friendships and family members. You are here to love, so find a way to love each day.
2. Find joy in what you do each day. Enjoy the purposeful work you have and the people you interact with. If joy is hard to come by there, then find it by making the rest of your life fun, meaningful, creative and enjoyable.
3. Take time each day to be quiet. It could be a quiet drive into work or on the bus. It could be when you first get up in the morning or at the end of your day. Finding even 10 minutes to quiet yourself down will bring more contentment.
4. Do something out of the ordinary; express yourself more fully; and push the limits of what is acceptable leaning towards being freer even if it may seem odd to others. My favorite Leo Buscaglia saying was, “ If people think you are a little bit crazy, they give you a lot more leeway in your behavior.”
The best you can do to have fun is to stop worrying so much about what others will think. Enjoy who you are and your uniqueness and remember, “What others think of you is none of your business”
Have some fun today, tonight, tomorrow, the next day, the rest of the week, on the weekend and the rest of your time here on the planet. No more waiting to enjoy life is allowed. Ok?