Summer Days and Summer Nights

We sure don't need a date on the calendar to tell us it's summer this year - it's been in the 90s for days in Wisconsin.  During the day I've been mostly staying inside to avoid this crazy heat.  Anyone that knows me, knows that I struggle if it's over 80 degrees.  I'm off in the summer so I feel super super lucky to spend time doing things at a different pace than the rest of the year, but then I get that nagging worry that I'm not enjoying it enough.

Every year though I tell myself I'm going to find a way to deal with the heat better and just get out and enjoy it.  Well, good intentions I guess.  I think if we had a pool or lived on a lake where I could get some relief with the water, I'd be outside much more.  Last night it cooled down a bit--probably to 80--and Shane and I did some vegetable garden weeding and then we just sat outside and enjoyed a bottle of Sangria and the night breeze.  It was really relaxing and fun just the two of us.  He works really long days so he usually doesn't want to do much at night, even just sit outside.  He wants to "relax" on the couch, but last night being outside on the patio was a great way to "ring in" the official first day of summer.   

Since I go back to work at the end of August and summer flies by I also tell myself every year that I MUST really live it up, enjoy every moment, do special things...you know relish every single moment and make them extraordinary.  A lot of pressure when I come to think of it though.  But when August hits I always seem to feel a bit disappointed that I didn't seize the day more often.  I wonder if other people feel the same way or if they just live each day and "be" not try to "do" so much.  Like am I taking away from the moment by trying so hard to do something exceptional?  Well, all that aside I do vow to spend more nights outside just enjoying the starry sky...that isn't a crazy goal at all and it's something that I love love love to do.  I just got a magazine yesterday where they had a summer "bucket list" and I'm wondering if I should put together one of those or I should just take each day as they come. 

Do you have anything you really feel you must do when summertime hits?  I'd love to hear about it.

This moment...enjoy it

I'm the kind of person who very easily gets trapped in the past or the future.  Whether it's daydreaming about an amazing vacation to Jamaica from a few years back, or worrying about what my relationship with my daughter will be like when she's a full-blown teenager, I'm rarely in the present moment.  I've read books on the subject; I jot down quotes to remind me, but still I struggle with this daily.  How about you?

Having something in plain-view does help me instead of jotting down some "words of wisdom" in a notebook that gets shoved somewhere on my painting table.  Since I love creating paintings with quotes on them I decided to do a little one with "enjoy this moment" collaged on it.  I'm sure there are others out there like me who need some reminders too, and why not have it be in the form of "art"?

I'm really wondering if you have any tips for staying present and enjoying the moment I am in instead of dreaming of the past or worrying about the future.  I'd love to hear them...share if you can.  Thanks so much!

Every Day is the Best Day

I found this quote by Emerson, "Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year" and I thought it would be perfect for my new painting/collage.

I love the message it gives because it reminds me to be grateful for this day and not keep looking to the future for my happiness.  I'll admit that I tend to get stuck in thinking about the next good thing up ahead, the weekend, the vacation, the end of the work day, summer vacation.  But this quote helps me realize that I need to see every day as the best day.  Right here, right now.  I think a lot of happiness and contentedness has passed me by in some of my ordinary moments because I kept wishing them to be different.  I hope this message gives you something to ponder and I hope it helps you love the moment, the day you are in.