Summer 2020

I have a hard time with transitions so I will cling to summer 2020 for a wee bit longer than most people.

I can feel the pull of the September back to school energy and I want more than a 6ft distance with this Covid Fall. I am starting to feel a tad restless and irritable with all the emails, forms, deadlines and schedules starting. Add in the must do protocols and uncertainty with Covid, and it amounts to a whole lot of anxiety for me. Reflecting on Summer 2020 I was so fortunate to take some time this Summer to getaway by myself to Saturna Island to decompress and rejuvenate. My hubby and boys were not interested in doing nothing, so they encouraged me to go away alone with the dogs. They were probably doing an Alleluia Dance when I left.

I called this time away my painting retreat yet truth is, I didn't do a lot of painting. With no agenda I awoke the rising sun and was just so in the moment and trying hard at just being still. I marveled at Mother Nature and her show of beauty. I'm a frenetic do-er and have often been given gifts with titles such as: 'meditations for women who do too much', 'Be Still', you get the picture. I even had an agenda on what I was going to do to relax. In hindsight that's rather comical. I accept this exuberant energy as part of my personality and there are some real assets being this way for when I am focused I get stuff done. Yet in excess this character trait can be detrimental to myself and others.

Staying by the ocean was the perfect place for me. I spent hours literally staring at the sea mesmerized by the twinkling sunlight reflecting off of the waves, the smell of salt and seaweed and the ever moving force of the tide reminding me of how inconsequential my DOing really is. I felt small yet not in a bad way but in a humbling way. My time away just reminded me that I need to slow down and feel and see and let the power of nature, God, Creator, do its magic reset with my spirit. My mind need not be attached to this process in fact it just gets in my way.

I enjoyed myself so much I knew my family needed to be by on the ocean and I was able to enjoy a few weekends away with some great people on Gambier Island at Camp Latona. It always feels like coming home approaching camp as this was my summertime home in my younger days. I spent time with likeminded outdoorsy family and friends and it really filled me up with JOY! I loved watching others have fun and enjoying themselves in nature and being unplugged. Today as a mother and artist navigating this time of stress and uncertainty I know my number one job is to help my teen boys launch successfully; whatever that looks like into this crazy ass world. I want them to feel joy! I will encourage them to be around joy seekers, outdoorsy folks and health minded people who will align with them on their life journey. If they are not feeling joy to go try something new! I want them to know that no matter what is going on in the world, what your mind is focused on will grow. My personal plan going forward is to keep filling up on the good stuff and hope that it spills out on my family, my friends and into my art. Happy, Joyful September 2020. You've got this!