There’s something pretty wonderful
about summer here in #MyHaliburtonHighlands: the recreational sports, the local
markets, the arts and crafts. But what
makes the season most memorable for me is the time spent just hanging out.
I used to worry about entertaining
the grandkids and guests and having planned activities, but it’s fascinating
how ideas pop up for games and visits to seamlessly fill the gaps. The Sculpture Forest and farmer’s markets,
pirate parties and vegetable picking, inventing games and painting rocks, the
intimacy of these ‘unimportant’ moments are what we cherish and forever
remember deep in our bones, deep in those tender, resilient places within. Yes, our bodies do store trauma, but they
also store bliss.
In mid-August, we hosted our third
house-concert with Juno-nominated singer/songwriter Craig Cardiff and had a
wonderful weekend of comradery. The first summer, Craig put on a sensational
performance under the stars and enhanced his sound using looping and beatboxing.
The second summer, with a bigger audience, he moved to the deck and
added a light show that made the leaves in the maple and oak trees behind him dance.
This year, anticipating a repeat of the magic, we prayed for the rain to stop. It
didn’t. And to add to the challenge of
setting up and re-arranging the furniture inside, the power went out just as he
was plugging in. There may not have been
any special effects that evening, but there sure was chemistry. Craig’s easy,
gentle manner had us all singing along, relaxing into the moment, and opening
to all the gifts he did have to offer – including pure friendship.
In this information/mobile-app age
where we spend most of our time in our heads, making time and space to slow
down just feels so soothing, so blissful.
It’s like our nervous system has a chance to reset and that part of
ourselves that’s quick to giggle and be expressive has a chance to blossom
again – no thinking required, just heart-filled time being in the magic. Craig is a master of this, and his engaging
manner and easy improvisations quickly had us all feeling like family singing
and laughing around a campfire.
Now, however, that summer is coming
to an end and our schedules are filling up, I’m wondering if it’s possible to
maintain that ‘hangin’ out’ feel? Does
the ease have to be mothballed with the boat?
What is it about summer that helps us let down our guards and find real
joy?
Maybe, whether we realize it or not,
with the windows open and nature streaming in, our whole body is connecting and
responding to all that is participating in life – the birds, the breeze, the
rustling leaves. We’re not separate, we’re not really alone, and the innocence
that is at the core of our soul gets to breathe…and smile. The awe we express at a beautiful sunset is harmonizing
with the awe that has been patiently waiting within, the joy our eyes see when
a child smiles is the same joy that has been quietly residing in our heart, and
the nurturing instinct we witness in nature is enlivening those instincts that
have been resting within; within our bodies.
Some people have a morning ritual
to help ground themselves in the state of relaxation. Others use apps to anchor in it throughout
the day. The simplest approach I’ve
learned is: follow your breath. When I do so, my nervous system slows down
and tension dissolves away. One tell-tale sign of being anxious, I noticed, is
my fingers; if they’re fidgety, it’s time to slow down and follow my breath
again.
This place of calmness is not a
withdrawal from problems but instead another way of approaching them. Creativity and inspiration abound when I’m open
and in harmony with life - not so much so when negativity and anxiety grip me.
At his concerts, Craig Cardiff
passes around a large notebook and invites his audience to write something
about themselves. This Book of Truths
allows for the storytelling to go both ways.
Here’s what I wrote:
I
tried to understand everything but only saw differences.
Now
I try to bless everything and see only innocence.
I thought I could get over the
traumas in my past and be more graceful by studying and conforming to the ways
of the old Masters. This summer has
shown me, I already am a Master. I just
have to slow down, soften my body, and connect with the blessings that surround
me.
