YAY!

YAY!  Summer has finally arrived. School is out of session and with that, the early morning alarm clock-setting ceases (can I get a double YAY!?).  Warm breezes waft through open windows, noses and shoulders are sun-kissed and the pace of a new season is upon us.  I’m thinking soft-serve vanilla ice cream cones with colored sprinkles.  Crossing the bridge from one season to the next is yet another opportunity to meditate upon where you are going and what you want.  So let’s give a little mind time to how we want it to unfold as we pack our virtual beach bags.When I think of summer, I think of peeling off layers. Goodbye, heavy winter garb.  Hello, bare feet and flouncy summer skirts.  Now that we’ve got that settled, what about our spiritual selves?  How could we lighten our mental load a bit?  What do we want to shed? And how do we go about achieving that?In the spirit of keeping it simple, like a perfect summer day – let’s start by taking stock. What’s the first thing that comes to your mind?  Is there some aspect of your behavior or life that has been a bit pesky – gnawing away at your sparkly essence, dulling things down a tad?  For instance, I’ve been a little cranky lately and have caught myself imposing so-called labels on others (I know, YUK!).  And it’s time to clear that one right on out of the house.It doesn’t feel good to judge – as a matter of fact, it feels like a most-definitely-not-good deviation from best self.  So what’s a girl deviating from the path to do?  A simple reboot may be in order.  In this case, I just needed to call myself out on it.  I realize when I’m not feeling so stellar about others, it’s emanating from the Mothership...ME.  It is more of a reflection of how I am feeling about myself than others.  Try this antidote on for size:1.) Identify where your issue is stemming from – what’s pulling you down and causing you to do the same to others?  Something’s stinky in the air.2.) Shift how you are perceiving your experiences.  Try flipping the “problem” over and approaching it from a new angle. Pretend you are advising someone else – would you be more tolerant?3.) Put on a new pair of glasses and practice seeing the best in others.  Strive to see their strengths, not their flaws.I’ve been trying out this 3-step antidote.  When I start to get irritated with someone close to me, I take a mental time-out to recall what it is that I love most about them. (POOF – instant dissipation of judgment and the reward of a warm heart rush).  That wasn’t so tough.So come on summer, bring it on.  It’s time to grab a good book, a nice cold drink, kick off your flip flops, dive into a hammock under shaded trees (you get the picture, fill in your own perfect summer-day-reprieve blanks)…and R-E-L-A-X, exhale and bask in the sunshine of self-awareness – the lightness of being present.If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.-Wayne Dyer