Memorial Day. The unofficial start of summer. I have so many cherished memories of summer, annual trips with my extended family to Hampton beach, S’mores around the campfire with my kids and nieces and nephews, night swims with my niece Sam, skinny dipping with my sisters, Kenny Chesney concerts with my sister Pam and so many more. I always look forward to summer as it represents fun and creating memories(not to mention longer days and warm sunshine).
This week I had dinner with good friends for the first time in 18 months. We normally get together once a month. I have missed them dearly, our zoom calls just were not the same as in person. We had so much to catch up on and drink in just being together. There was the moment of ‘do we wear a mask or not when we aren’t actively eating or drinking’ but otherwise we slipped right into our normal camaraderie.
The restaurant had a time limit of 90 minutes as well as a new reservation policy that required a credit card to reserve the table and a fee of $25 per person if It was a reminder that things are opening up but not yet normal. In part because the old normal doesn’t really exist anymore.
I’m seeing a return to more social re-engagement mixed with a desire to be more mindful of the next chapter in myself as well as my clients, colleagues, and friends. There is a cautious dipping of the toe into the waters of re-engagement followed by a pause to assess and then proceeding again.
As we start to re-emerge into the world doing so consciously and mindfully can help to curate the next chapter in ways that we choose rather than by default. This has me pondering the things I want to nurture like friendships, time with family, walks on the beach, traveling, and learning new things and the things I want to let go of long hours working, draining or one-sided relationships, and things I do because I ‘should’ rather than I’m aligned with them. This admittedly easier said than done and will be a work in progress.
Particularly with the full moon and eclipses we currently have this pull for conscious creation in our lives is strong. It’s a good time to listen to your intuition, tune in to your body cues, and dream a little bit. What do you want life to look like? In the midst all of the upheaval and chaos of the past year what have you learned about yourself and how you want to show up in the world? Let your energy guide you a little more, subtle shifts show up first there and if we pay attention it can help guide us along this path we call life.
I’m grateful the restaurant wasn’t overly busy and we were able to linger a bit longer than the allotted 90 minutes savoring the support and love of friends and deeply satisfying hugs at the end of the evening.
What is your favorite summer activity and who do you want to do it with? Drop me a note and share
Be Well,
Cathy
p.s. If you want some support in consciously creating your life get on the early notification list for the June cohort of the Conscious Creating Group here