We have done it. We have journeyed through another season and it’s time to start releasing the languid days of summer and welcoming the quickened pace of fall. I’ve been musing about the lessons from this summer that I want to keep with me as we turn the page, and one lesson rises to the surface:
Rest breeds gratitude.
My body doesn’t really give me the choice to bypass downtime when summer rolls around. It demands time laying in the sun, walking in the hills, and floating in the waters. My system is so summer-hungry that I cannot override the call to rejuvenate as I am prone to do in other seasons.
I am so grateful for the long summer days that mean there is time after work for recuperation. I am grateful for the space to reflect and let new ideas germinate, time with my family, and an abundance of time outside. I’m grateful for the chance to swim in the river and feel grass under my bare feet. I’m grateful for summer sunsets, campfires, loons, the laughter of kids on the street after dinner, and evenings with no homework.
Gratitude abounds for me in the summer, and I realize that these two things – gratitude and rest – go hand in hand. We need to give ourselves space to be present enough in our senses, our relationships, and our landscapes to fully feel gratitude for these things.
My goal this fall is to tuck this lesson in my pocket. I want to create time for rest so my gratitude coffers stay full.
The return to the rhythm of the school year doesn’’t make this easy. We have to occasionally opt out of the rush of parenting responsibilities that come with school, sports, and our own post-summer work expectations.
This fall, choose to let the waters rush past you sometimes while you rest in an eddy.
It’s worth it. A lifestyle that begets gratitude changes your brain, your perception and perspective, and your experience of the very life you are living.
Even when you can’t step away from your obligations on a busy day, look for the tiny moments when you can see a little clearer, breathe a little deeper, and open your heart a little wider. You won’t fall behind…you will in fact have more energy, creativity, resilience, and gratitude to share.
Here is a free gratitude journal prompt from my Resilience e-course to help you on this journey. To get started with your gratitude practice, just choose one or two of these to respond to each day.
Yours in rest and gratitude,
Lindsay
Lindsay B. Jernigan, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist – Doctorate
Eastern View Integrative Medicine
185 Tilley Dr. #14
South Burlington, VT 05403
802-229-8270
drlindsayjernigan.com
instagram.com/dr.lindsayjernigan
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