Summer Heat: Tuesday's Reflection

I am a summer Scrooge. 

I don't like the heat and humidity and what it does to my thick, curly hair.

I don't like to sweat, and I resent all the additional loads of laundry. 

I don't like mosquitos, even though they clearly love me. How irritating it is to remember to protect myself from their buzzing and biting even before it begins.

I wilt in the heat. 

I am NOT a summer person, I whine, using whatever energy I have left after my early morning walk, for it is already warm and sticky. 

No, I am not a summer person. I am a winter person. I love to hibernate, to enclose myself in a cave where it is dark and snuggly, to wrap myself in sweaters and eat soups and stews. And I am far more productive in the winter. 

It is still May, and yet the temperatures have climbed into the 90's, which is not the norm for spring in Minnesota. (You may recall we had a major snowstorm in the middle of April.) The mid to high 90's, for heaven's sake! I read or heard somewhere that the weather in May is a good predictor for the summer months. Help!

Summer, especially the heat of summer, challenges me, and it appears I need to accept the challenge, even earlier than usual this year. 


So what to do?  A few thoughts:
*     Rejoice in the beauty and give thanks for those who work, even in the heat, to add to the beauty of God's creation. 
*     Open to summer simplicity. Slow down. Do only what is necessary. Can I clean less? Fix easier, lighter meals? How about putting up my feet during the hottest hour of the day to nap or read a book, one that isn't too heavy? Can I let go of expectations about what I think I should be doing or producing. What is worth the sweating? Lighten up!
*      Shift into summer. What can be changed in my routine to enhance these hot days? Instead of going directly to my Girlfriend Chair in the garret for morning meditation and walking later in the day, I now walk first thing in the morning when it is the coolest. I have been getting up earlier than I do in the winter, and that has brought me bonus time and greater flexibility. A good thing. 
*      Respond to summer spontaneity. I am a planner and a list maker. In fact, over the weekend, I gathered into a notebook articles about all the events and activities in our area during the summer months. I included our calendar for June, July, and August, which shows the days we are on summer nanny duty for our grand children and also when we will be out of town or have guests here in The Little House. In other words, I have planned to be spontaneous. I know that sounds like a contradiction, but it isn't really. I think clarifying available time and possibilities during those times opens me to spontaneity. "It is a gorgeous day, let's....."
*     Be present now. Perhaps that is the overall theme.  A summer theme. A theme for all seasons, for each day. When I am present, I notice the blessings, feel the blessings, and create blessings, even in the summer heat.

One more thought: My spiritual director pointed out that summer is only a short time in our part of the country, and soon it will be fall and then winter, and I will once more feel at home. We laughed together about that, even as I agree that Spirit is asking me to stretch into the days of summer heat. 

An Invitation
Does summer challenge your spirituality in any way? I would love to know. 

What We Talk About When We Talk About the Weather, posted by Nancy L. Agneberg,

     Finally, it rained. I wondered when rain finally came if people would come pouring out of their homes, interrupting whatever they were doing at the moment--wooden spoon or fresh laundry from the dryer or the morning newspaper in hand. Would we take photos with our iPhone and send them immediately to everyone we know? "Guess what, it's raining! Praise the Lord." 
     Praise the Lord! 
     We have been waiting and waiting and even though this morning's rain didn't last very long, it raises hope. It reminds us that there is an end to everything, even draught. 

     Oh, how thirsty all the yards and gardens are in the neighborhood. Each lovely home is surrounded by a moat of crackly straw. The pond in the wetland is dry to the last drop, and I wonder about all the life that pond normally supports. The critters who called the pond home truly know what it means to be thirsty. 
Summer vs Winter
     Maybe I should pretend it's winter. I love winter and find the coziness of staying inside during the winter to be a productive and creative time for me. With a shawl wrapped around my shoulders I delight in doing the next thing or nothing. Either way is a choice. However, the summer heat encourages neither productivity or creativity in me, only apathy. I am restless, but lack energy to find direction. In the winter I relish the indoor time, but in these days of scorching, breath-taking heat, I resent the closed windows, the fake coolness (even as I am grateful for it!), and I want porch time restored.  I want relief from the draught. 
     What would satisfy my thirst and end my inner draught? 
     Can I move from a state of emptiness and inertia to Sabbath time?
Ending the Inner Draught
     I just finished reading a book called Chasing Matisse, A Year in France Living My Dream by James Morgan (www.chasingmatisse.com) in which the author lists his desires. "Read. Write. Paint. Think. Travel." So clear and clean. He unveiled his thirsts and even though, as he adds, "Not that it's ever as simple as that," he has found a way to live his desires. 
I practiced a list in my head almost unwilling to commit my yearnings to writing, for what would it mean if I stated them so directly and clearly? What excuses would I have to overcome? How would I have to live in spite of the draught?  
     If that exercise seems too hard, Alice D. Doar, author of Live a Little! offers another opportunity in the August O, The Oprah Magazine.  Complete the following statements, but don't think too long about any of them.

I could blow an entire rainy afternoon___________________

When I was a kid, I used to love________________________

I've always wanted to become really good at______________

If I could do one thing every day of my life, it would be_____

I can lose track of time when I'm________________________

Nothing clears my head like____________________________

When I'm feeling drained, all I want to do is_______________

I feel most connected to my body when I'm________________

In my daydreams, I imagine myself______________________

I get a shot of energy when I___________________________  

     Any surprises? What do your responses reveal? Are there any changes you want or need to make in your life in order to live more authentically? Is there anything you are thirsting for that can be fulfilled even in times of summer dryness? 
     Here are my answers:

I could blow an entire rainy afternoon reading.

When I was a kid, I used to love to ride my bike.

I've always wanted to become really good at singing.

If I could do one thing every day of my life, it would be to write and to hug my grandchildren.

I can lose track of time when I'm writing.

Nothing clears my head like making a list and writing in my journal.

When I'm feeling drained, all I want to do is eat and read.

I feel most connected to my body when I'm doing T'ai Chi.

In my daydreams, I imagine myself thin and a published author.

I get a shot of energy when I complete all or a part of a writing project or when I am in the midst of a substantial conversation. 

     Reading my answers I notice ways I can easily enhance my life and choices I can make that will help me balance Body, Mind, and Spirit. Furthermore, none of my responses, except perhaps riding a bike, is related to the weather at all! Nor is my list of desires, which I finally dare to write down. 
     Read. Write. Spend time with family and friends. Pray. Teach.  
    Any season is the right time to connect with your essence. Any weather is the perfect time to do what nurtures your soul and gives life to who you were created to be.