Savouring the Rest of Our Summer
When my husband and I were in law school, we would all joke around with Latin expressions (geeky maybe, but fun to me, since I love playing with words) – and “carpe diem”, “seize the day”, was one of our favourites. It still is, to this day, more than thirty years later.
I think it's an apt mantra for creating a summer well-lived. Here in the north of the northern hemisphere, summer is a short season so it behooves us to be intentional about how we spend it.
Let’s Seize the rest of our summer by savouring some of our favourite summer moments or actiivities!
What do you want to savour?
Getting up early to watch the sun rise?
Sipping your cup of coffee outside while watching the birds?
That first enlivening, tingly feeling as you dive into the lake?
Lying on the grass counting the stars?
Eating (slurping!) a fresh local peach?
I could go on... but I think you already have many examples of your own.
Let's try to make the most of the rest of this precious summer, as best we can.
What are you going to make sure to savour?
LMK! I'd be inspired to hear.
Notes
*Savouring is a positive psychology "happiness intervention", meaning that finding ways to savour the joys in life has been shown to lead to increased happiness and well-being. And studies have also shown that increased happiness and well-being lead to more success in life - and not the other way around, as many of us assume. That’s right… success comes from being happy and experiencing well-being! And savouring is an easy and very pleasant tool for us to use to find happiness and well-being.
You can savour in the present moment, or about the past or the future.
Savouring Practice
One simple, small but mighty, savouring practice is to take 2-3 minutes daily to enjoy the small pleasures in life, like a cup of coffee, a gorgeous sky or and good conversation. There may be:
marvelling (feeling awe),
thanksgiving (feeling gratitude)
basking (feeling pride) or
luxuriating (feeling pleasure in your senses) – we could all use more of those, right?
Here’s another post about savouring.
