August has arrived …

… and with it the day lilies in my garden:

This morning, reading on the front porch from a book that showed up this past month and said, “Read me!”, pointed me at a quotation that felt right to share with you:

Now, the first part of that quotation is attributed to Socrates and the second part may not be an original by this author. It doesn’t really matter to me. What does matter is that it struck me as meaningful today. At that moment, I knew it was time to stop reading for the morning and write to you.

So here we are. Rereading what I wrote in July, I find this:

“Taking a break, a sabbatical, a vacation is important. Getting out of routine and listening in different ways to Life renews us, heals, provides joy and inspiration of another sort. What I want for you and for me this summer is to experience freedom to choose alternatives, freedom to listen to our own inner nudgings, freedom to experience Life with our whole being – body, mind, emotion, spirit – whatever that means to each one of us. Yesterday, for me, that meant floating down the river on an inner tube with another dear friend and treasuring the sunlight and clouds, the sounds of the birds and the thunder, the conversation and the shared silence.”

Seems to me that says, “Live life!” How are you doing with that? Have you taken a break this past month from routine, from unconsciously moving through the activities of your days? Have you played, explored new places, deepened relationships? Have you noticed the flowers growing? Remember those day lilies? I now know that they are called “day” lilies because that’s exactly how long the flower lives! It opens for one day only, and then closes up and dies. Such a short window of time this beautiful expression is present. If I am too busy to pause in my garden, I miss it. If I am too busy to be present and mindful with each activity, each interaction, each precious moment I am given, I miss Life itself.

I urge you to continue this month to live – to let yourself experience life, feel it with your whole being. Yes, sometimes that means we experience pain or discomfort along with the joy and delight. Sometimes we try new things that we don’t enjoy. Yet, isn’t *trying* the only way to really know if we like it?

So “Try away!” this month! See you in September!