By: Stella Orange
May you be having a wonderful summer!
I (Stella) took last week off, and I noticed myself doing some unusual vacation activities.
Sure, I took my requisite naps, did more than my share of porch sitting, lollygagged at the beach, and meandered my way around town doing nothing in particular.
That’s my standard ‘empty my brain’ vacation fare.
But I also watched myself doing something else—sorting, taking stock, letting go, and envisioning what’s to come.
I wasn’t *trying* to do those things.
But it was as though they were rising up from deep within me — bubbling up like water from a fountain.
And when that happens, I know enough to allow it.
Case in point: after watching two seasons of Queer Eye (on Netflix – highly recommended – it’s fun, heartfelt, and I’m not gonna lie – sometimes I cried) in two weeks and speedreading multiple books about personal style and home décor from the public library, I rearranged furniture in several rooms and cleaned out my closet.
I also spent a morning revisiting my plan for my work and our finances.
What’s all this got to do with you?
A friendly reminder that mid-year is a wonderful time to go deep and tend your visions of who and how you want to be, and adjust as needed.
I find that the relaxation and joyfulness of summer lets me be easy and open as I evaluate where I’ve been and where I’m headed.
(Listen, if your summer has been anything but relaxed and joyful, that’s okay. It’s all good. You do you, boo.)
It wasn’t just my closet and our furniture I was updating, either – it was also the story I tell myself about who and how I am.
Yeah, that’s right – I spent my summer vacation refreshing my life story. And if you’ve never done that, honey, stick with me! I’m all about it.
I notice that I’m soaking up the bounty of this time of year – the blueberry eating contest I’m having with myself, the crazy amount of tomatoes ripening in the garden, the flower explosions around the neighborhood – deep into my bones.
You can draft off this energy to power your way forward, you know.
So, my hot biscuit, here are some questions I’ve been using to refresh my story, as we round the bend to summer’s home stretch (to my crew down under in Oz and our Kiwis and those of you not experiencing your summer: imagine with us!):
What old stories are no longer true? What golden threads are you ‘pulling through’ as you live into your future?What old messages are ready to be swapped out for new ones? Or: what are you tired of hearing yourself say to yourself, and what new story is ready to be told?
And if summer has been crazy town at your house, what can you do to carve out a little pocket of contemplative time for yourself? Get up 15 minutes early? Take a tub on Wednesday nights when the kids are gone? Lay in bed and snuggle the cat more on Saturday? Go for an evening walk? Be present with the dog on her walk? Light a candle and play some Bossanova as you tidy up the kitchen after dinner?
The magic is alive in our lives right now, friends. May you be eyeballs deep in it, and feeling it on a visceral level.
Stella is cofounder and copywriter at Las Peregrinas, a creative and consulting agency. As our resident word nerd, she writes copy and points out the stories everyone is living and telling through their work. She is also fun at parties.
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