Invest In A Sacred Summer Whether you're 12, 45 or 75.

“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” ?–?J.R.R. Tolkien

Sacred Summer

Until I was 17, summer was my time to let go. When the last days of June ended, twinkly summer butterflies of anticipation rushed in.

I'd slip off my shoes—and fall head first into the wilds of July.

Tight schedules loosened their noose. The pace and pressure from the school year evaporated. I was free to be me.

This isn’t a blame game. My parents didn’t put this pressure on me. Instead, I happily donned a heavy backpack of should’s and ‘targets’ keeping me in line for a good 9 months a year. Looking back, as young as 8, I remember the weight of expectations that cinched my shoulders during the school year. The load distracted me. It didn’t allow the light to fully seep into the cracks of my unique character.

Sigh. It often confused me how school was pitched as the learning arena. For me, it often got in the way of my expansion.

By contrast, summer was open sesame. A gateway for growth and exploration. I swear my thick hair and stubby nails grew more in June, July and August than the rest of the year combined. Deep friendships were forged. First sweaty loves cemented. New versions of Hopey popped up. All of these signals surprised the bejeezus out of me.

And then I grew up.

Or became a grown up. A succession of jobs and work. Bought cars. Rented and owned houses. Married. Had two kids. Moved about the globe.

Summers stopped feeling free. Time became regimented. Year after year. Into one flow.

Even as a middle-aged mother of two, I’ve often felt guilty for wanting that sense of time freedom again. I accepted that’s just what happens when you adult.

But in 2023, a 75 year old mentor shared an honest quip. Hope, you’re getting so serious and formal with your time. He shared perhaps I needed to consider having a Sacred Summer?

A what, you say?

A Sacred Summer is intentionally choosing to review time with a new angle. An opportunity, at any age, to switch up the rhythm and open up for the summer. This could be a few weeks. A month. Or go hog wild and take the entire summer season?

It means when July comes…

-->Read more about Sacred Summer and what it could mean for you here in my SUBSTACK