Up and doing. That phrase has been on my mind lately, likely because with the Earth having spun us into summertime, I've been up and doing myself, as I imagine you have been as well. It is just that time of the year.
In the recent weeks of my own life, I have completed the final (hah!) revision of my book, read it aloud from start to finish to my sweet husband, sent it off to two additional readers for review, and begun the process of deciding how best to release it into the world. (Stay tuned!)There have also been a flurry of socializing, with a plethora of in~person, Zoom, and phone get~togethers with dear ones, a wonderfully exuberant, community~wide memorial service for a friend who left her body last autumn, and plans finalized for a slew of visitors next month.
Quite a whirlwind. And yet, it has not all been delight. Because we could not come together as a society the way we have with other illnesses, such as smallpox, polio, measles, mumps and diphtheria, COVID is here to stay. And like many people, I am still reeling from the latest infringement on a woman's right to privacy and the control of her own body, and bracing for reversals of hard-won gains in other areas. And too, the ongoing level of incivility and downright ugliness continues to disturb.
But summertime's expansive energies have arrived. It's not all rainbows and butterflies by any means, but I feel buoyed, lifted up out of myself, and flung into the world. And even with the alarming aspects, I find a greater energy to respond. I hope you feel the same.
Summertime has a different flavor than the inward~turning months of winter. No longer closed in and hunkering down, we are indeed up and doing. And it's ours to decide the direction we move. It is also ours to find the center point within the hustle and bustle. Just as we need to be appropriately active over the winter months lest we withdraw too far, we need to find pockets of quietude within the busyness of our current season.
When we regularly move into the eye of the whirlwind and rest there, we not only soothe our nervous systems, but are better able to listen to guidance that can inform our next steps. Activity without such an orientation can easily become mindless and giddy rather than wise. Just as the Yin of winter can lead us into depression and isolation if not managed well, the Yang of summertime needs tempering if we wish not to fritter away its effervescence in pursuits that do not feed our souls. So we balance our up~and~doing~ness by regularly sitting down and doing nothing. In fact, let's do that right now.
Read these words a bit more slowly as you come into this moment, just as it is. Notice the breath that causes your chest or belly to rise and to fall. You might become aware of your heart, that oldest of companions, tapping out its familiar beat, a Morse Code of sorts that says, "I am here. I am right here." Perhaps you notice, too, the way light spreads across the room or the sounds, soft or grating, that surround you. And as you tune into these sensations and any others that come to your awareness, you might also note that this simple presence is all that is asked of you in this moment. Simply to be. Here. Now. That is all.
And no, we need not tarry long. Life does, indeed, call to us even now, and responding is what this season is all about. And yet, pausing regularly to get our bearings and to listen for guidance assists us to be up and doing most effectively, most productively, most satisfyingly.
The seasons will continue their play. Autumn will soon be upon us once again, turning us back toward stillness. But for now, may we delight in these longer days and in the feel of fresh air and sunlight on bare skin. Let us dance with this season. And just as with any dance, maintaining a balance offers us the best chance for a smooth and graceful progression across the floor.
Dance on, my friends. Dance on.
Much love,
Leia
