Have you ever been so busy with work, family, health issues, or any other surprises life tosses your way, that all you can do is put your head down and do the most demanding thing that is right in front of you? And when you can look up and catch your breath – or drag yourself out of a season of stuckness–poof, maybe another year has slipped by. Or several years.
Or maybe you’re heading into a period of transition from one chapter of your life to another, and when folks ask about your plans, you cringe a bit inside because it’s been a long time since you got to focus on what you want, or maybe that dream you set aside before all the busy.
It’s so easy to get so caught up in being productive, which society approves of, that we forget to take time to connect with who we are at this moment in time, this season, and what we might want the next chapter to look like. What we might consider changing.
I feel like I’ve lived this cycle multiple times., and believe me with homeschooling and caring for my mom with ALS, there were periods where years passed and if friends asked what I wanted, even if they just meant which menu item, all I could do was moan, “I don’t knoooooow.”
I finally realized I needed some built in guideposts for checking in with myself. I wanted to give myself some space to pause and be present to connect with my heart and inner compass. So, I picked the easiest dates I could remember, the solstices and equinoxes which marked the change of the seasons, to sit with myself for a bit of connection and reflection on the bigger picture of how things are going and if my intentions were still the same for the next season.
Like pretty much everything , it’s been a learning process. And it changes, of course.
I miss my early days of solstice rituals on the beach with bonfires, singing, and snacks with my Seattle community organising crew. Now I’m most often alone with my journal or laptop, maybe in the backyard or some other natural location. If I’m feeling more social I might pair my individual reflection time with some kind of communal event – in person or online– that calls to me. It can be whatever helps me pause to and be present enough to
- Accept what is, acknowledging growth, and challenges,
- Set intentions for next steps or new directions,
- Make room for rest, play, and connection.
- Set intentions for next steps or new directions,
I’m looking forward to taking some time this Sunday during our northern hemisphere’s Summer Solstice. I hope you may give yourself a chance to pause, too.
If you’re interested in resources, subscribe below for a free connection/reflection PDF and Chapter 9 of Harness the Power and Joy of Learning for Your Life is all about reflective practices, with a Summer Solstice special price of $2.99 for the ebook. (Amazon says it may take up to 72 hours for the price reduction to show, so..)
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