I plant a lot of containers for our deck and, while I really love plenty of foliage like coleus, I can’t resist gerbera daisies. These pink ones are beautiful, even covered in raindrops, and I hope they will bloom all summer long.
Happy weekend, friends!
Saturday is the first of June,my favorite month of the year, and it means that summer is here! Today I’m sharing three things I’m going to be doing to help me to have a mindful summer.
First, I’m starting a new thing called Macro Mondays. This came about when Vicki and I both realized we had missed Macro May and we chatted about what we could do instead and I came up with the idea of Macro Monday. So, for each Monday in June, July and August, I will be sharing a photo taken with my big camera using the macro lens. I’m doing this for a couple of reasons – one, because it will encourage me to use the big camera – and two – because it will make it easy to plan a Monday post in advance so that I can enjoy my weekend without thinking about processing photos and writing a blog post. If you’d like to join us that would be terrific
Second, I’m going to create a summer bucket list. This is not by any stretch of the imagination a to do list. There will be nothing on there about clearing clutter or home repairs, no plans for things I should do, no list of activities to hustle through and check off, it’s more of a list of ideas, of ways to truly enjoy summer. Things like eating lobster and ice cream, riding in the convertible, taking trips to the beach, spending lots of time on the deck, hosting gatherings under the pergola and around the firepit . . . you get the idea.
Third, I’m going to participate in Michelle’s A Tiny Bit of Quiet. There will be journaling prompts every Friday encompassing the themes of gratitude, intention, and self. I think it sounds wonderful and will be a great thing to look forward to each week.
What will you be doing this summer? I’d love to hear about your plans! I’d also love it if you share your Thursday post link below!
I’m hitting Wednesday with two-fer on the alliteration. It’s Watercolor AND Windowbox Wednesday!
I went for a classic look with the window boxes this year: red geraniums and vinca vine. Against our white house and our white sheer curtains it’s a perfect look for the summer.
Have a great Wednesday!
Time for a monthly check in on my One Little Word: Story.
I did something really bold a few weeks ago. I started working with a Life Coach to help me resolve some issues from my past that are still impacting me today. It’s terrifying and exciting and also . . . helping. It’s helping me to see that I’m still stuck on some of the traumatic things that happened to me years ago. It’s helping me to let go of the fear that something terrible is going to happen to someone I love. It’s helping me to see that feeling joy and happiness doesn’t mean something tragic is headed my way.
One week, part of my homework was to watch the Brené Brown special Call to Courage on Netflix. I did not want to watch it. I didn’t want to hear some mumbo jumbo about being courageous, I did not want to listen to phony inspirational stories . . . I did not want to be vulnerable. But I watched it because I’m spending a lot of money on this life coaching thing and I promised myself I’d be all in.
Guess what? It was amazing. Life changing, even. Brené Brown’s delivery is funny and brilliant. Her stories are ones I can relate to and not in the least little bit phony or melodramatic. It’s real and powerful and hopeful. It made me see that real strength comes from vulnerability. That true courage is showing someone who you really are. That experiencing joy is perhaps the bravest thing of all.
It made it easier for me to own my story.
It’s truly amazing when the universe just throws everything at you all at once and it all makes sense.
That’s my story this month.
Today I’m sharing with you the speech I will be giving this morning at the Memorial Day Ceremony on our Town Common. It’s short but meaningful, I think, and I hope you will take something from it that will carry you through this day.
Greetings from the Board of Selectmen! It gives me great pride to be part of our town’s Memorial Day ceremony and to have this opportunity to speak to you about how we can respect and honor those who gave their lives fighting for our nation.
More than 1.1 million men and women have died during wartime in our country, an astounding number that doesn’t even take into account those who were wounded or went missing, and it’s a number that should truly humble us. It’s a number that represents people – sons and daughters, husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, brothers, sisters and friends, people who were loved and missed and mourned. Personally, I do not know what it’s like to send someone you love off to war. I do not know how it feels to say, good bye, be careful, I’m proud of you and I love you. But I do know those who have done just that and said those words. And I do know those who have gotten a telegram, a middle of the night phone call, a knock on the door, with the news they dread, that the one they love most in the world isn’t coming home. This is the reality of military service and it is what we take to heart on Memorial Day: we are able to be here largely thanks to those who are not.
This gathering here may be small, it may even feel insignificant, but that’s not the case. Our gathering is part of other gatherings taking place all across our country today and together we are mighty, we are proud, and we are thankful. May God bless and keep our fallen, our veterans and active military, and the United States of America.
