Even though, in Michigan, it dropped to less than 40 degrees this week, I can still feel summer on the horizon. Flowers are blooming, birds are chirping. And last week’s 3-day downpour turned the grass and everything living a nice luscious shade of green.
Sometimes I forget to notice beauty like this because I’m so caught up in everyday minutia. I’ve been trying to slow down and pay attention to what’s going on around me…be more present in the little moments that make up my day.
This has me thinking about summer and how I always want to do certain things, but when summer is over, it seems like I never had the time. So, this year I’ve decided to plan my summer around a theme.
It started as a way to make sure I actually put things on my calendar…but it turned into choosing things that actually feed my (and my family’s) soul. Instead of choosing things just because they seem like fun, or because they are available as time-fillers and “the kids would like it”, I’m making a conscious effort to do things that will make us all feel good.
I figured the best way to do that was to write down what my summer would look like, if I could have anything. I’m not one to write poems…so let’s consider this my summer manifesto.
The Summer Soul
Hooper Pictured: Christina Hummingbird
The Summer Soul says yes to things she wants, because summer is a time for passion and cannot be wasted on guilt.
She says no to things she does not want, because summer is fleeting, and lazy days and moon swept nights are meant to be shared with those you love.
She plans adventure and fun, paired with sweetness and romance, and understands this can be shared alone, with one, or many. Sometimes all at once.
The Summer Soul is beauty and sensuality, raw honesty, and freedom. She is fierce and tender, exposed and elusive.
She is you. She is me. She is every woman.
What is your summer manifesto? Make it real and share in the comments!
