It's been a glorious summer for us at 2bpresent. We took time from the normal school year schedule and lived weeks in a very unstructured unscheduled manner. As we are now in August, we have been struck by the reality of returning to a school and life schedule that is drastically different from the way we have lived for several weeks now. In pondering this shift that is going to have to take place the following lyrics from En Vogue seemed apropos to share with all of you. Back to life, back to reality. Back to the here and now, yeah. Show me how, decide what you want from me. Tell me maybe I could be there for you. However do you want me? However do you need me? How, however do you want me? However do you need me? Back to life, back to the present time. Back from a fantasy, yeah. Tell me now, take the initiative. I'll leave it in your hands until you're ready... Summer is a break from the reality of the hectic schedules that we have during the school year. People asking of us and us pouring ourselves out to those we love and the causes that we support. We are wanted and needed and needed and wanted 24/7. By breaking from that for summer we are able to refuel and come back recharged. The transitions from one to another are not without anxiety for us or for our children. For our children they have shifted from school schedules to summer (camp or unstructured chill time) and now what they focused on so much is coming to a close and the hectic school schedules that they have are approaching them once again. Can we incorporate the best of what they love from the summer into their normal school year schedule? Can we put a little less on all of our plates this year and have more time to just be together as a family? Will they miss something if they aren't as busy? Will we?
September also coincides with a climatic shift as the sweltering warm days start to turn cooler. We go from shedding clothes to adding layers to stay warn. As we look toward this transition, can we add mindfulness and meditation into the layers we wrap ourselves in? Incorporating a mindful practice into the way we interact with those we love the most and those who we just barely touch. Mindfulness can make those shifts be they seasonal or from summer back to school smoother and easier for ourselves and our families.
If you are interested in learning more about beginning a practice of mindfulness and meditation, please join us as we once again journey to find Real Happiness following the work of Sharon Salzberg and other experts in this field. Click here for more information on this upcoming course and on our event hosting Sharon Salzberg in our community.
