Pleasure, Appreciation, and the "Should's"

The un-official start of summer has arrived with Memorial Day weekend come to pass and a palpable shift in energy in the Northern Hemisphere towards more expansion and outward connection. Here in Boulder, Memorial Day weekend is always buzzing with celebrations….great outdoor music, a festival, and the annual super fun 10K Bolder Boulder run which my son and I do every year.
 
It feels as though this weekend draws people out of their winter nests and provides the opportunity for them to shed their winter skin. It is like a deep, collective exhale.
 
Pleasure, gratitude, smiles, laughter, playful interactions, and kindness fill the air as the collective consciousness feels to be focused on joy and possibility, rather than the density of these past few years and the contraction of the winter months.
 
This does not discount in any way the darkness that remains in our country and in the world at large, yet, we are still privileged to be alive and, to me, we can choose what we want to focus on in any given moment.
 
We can choose to appreciate the sweeter moments of our humanity, the freedom that the kids are feeling being out of school, the sunshine, the green trees, the community BBQ’s and socializing, the warmth, the levity, the sounds of kids playing in pools, the outdoor adventures that await, the afternoon siestas….all that come with this fiery time of year.
 
The invitation here is to unabashedly and authentically cultivate the practice of appreciation for what is, for what we already have/done/obtained….To look within us and around us and to feel genuine appreciation for all of the many blessings we have in our unique and precious lives.
 
And, in tapping into the realm of pleasure....What is your relationship with pleasure?  Can we give ourselves permission to actually enjoy pleasurable moments? To receive it? To sink deeply into it? To immerse ourselves in pleasure and pleasurable activities without guilt?
 
To remember to soak up the opportunities for meaningful, authentic, and joyful connections.

To give ourselves permission to sink into the moments of pleasure….with appreciation.
 
This time can be exciting for some to be able to adventure with and connect to children and family in a more intimate way than the frenzy of the school year. Others it’s absolutely terrifying to have kids at home while trying to work and keep them entertained. I understand both.
 
Others, who perhaps do not have children, this time is not quite as shocking to the system yet the themes and experiences can be parallel.
 
Wherever you are in your orbit, perhaps this message will inspire the quality of surrender, of acceptance, of appreciation for exactly what is. 
 
To remember what is truly important in life. To open up to new possibilities within oneself of navigating these next several months so as to focus on pleasure, on connection, on fun, on joy, on play, and, even on relaxation.
 
To slow down the pace of life, allow for some spaciousness, and bathe oneself in pleasure and connection.
 
To honor the change of season and the energies of this more expansive time.
 
To commit to perhaps, doing things differently than in the past – creating those shifts from within and allowing them to ripple out into one’s outer world and reality.
 
Feel in your body how that feels to even read those words of possibility. Do you feel a twittering of excitement? Of fear? Of overwhelm? Of joy? Of anxiety?
 
To notice when the “should’s” surface around what you “should” be doing instead of what feels fun, pleasurable, novel, or just because you feel like it (yes, even if it is laying on your couch for the afternoon with a good book or a snooze!).
 
And, for those of you whom have worked with me in the past or are currently doing so…you know my favorite phrase is: “Don’t should all over yourself!”.  So, let’s not!
 
Anytime we choose to do things differently, there can be moments of contraction, of fear, of un-ease. Yet, when we can allow those qualities to just BE without engaging in them, while simultaneously taking those deep breaths, trusting oneself, and continuously choosing to move in this new cadence of being….that is when we start to create new pathways in our lives.
 

May we continuously choose to be kind to each other, take excellent care of ourselves and our families, do the best we can with the tools and resources that we have accessible to us, and open our hearts to new ways of connecting, healing, growing, supporting, and loving.

 

Wishing you all a beautiful start to your summer!