Summertime with my kids is my absolute favorite.
Every year, I look forward to the laid-back mornings, the lack of intense preparation, and the memory-making adventures.
But alas, this June has been filled with “the adventures” of summer school and tutoring.
As grateful as I know we should be for these wonderful opportunities with fabulous instructors, I’d be lying if I didn’t embarrassingly admit that after the first few days of spending… mm-hmm… an hour and 15 minutes in the car…
Simply to pick up the kiddos and return home…
I was pretty funked out.
It just didn’t feel like the best use of our precious memory-making time.
As fate would have it, this week, I came across a podcast with Dr. Chatterjee and a Zen Buddhist teacher, Haemin Sunim, and ya know what the focus was all about!?
Finding happiness, cultivating inner peace, and slowing down in a fast-paced world.
Ok universe. I hear you… go on…
Friends…
This wasn’t even from this week…
It was shared in September of 2024!
Don’t ya love when that happens!?
As many amazing nuggets of wisdom as there are in this podcast, there were three things that truly spoke to me in this month of June!
One: The idea of impermanence, and that all things only last for a limited time, and we move on.
Summer school and tutoring ARE a blessing, and they will not last forever.
Two: The idea of being relaxed, content, and grateful with what you already have, rather than constantly trying to go somewhere.
This was huge for me.
Immediately upon absorbing this statement, I was flooded with examples of just how much this month of June is teaching my kids and I.
We’re naturally being guided towards what we already have.
My kids are seeing more friends than usual, because we’re home!
The girls have been reading to each other and drawing me pictures on the drive to and from summer school.
I’m being reminded of the village I’ve built around me as friends and neighbors are showing up to help out.
We even brought out Legos, Jenga, Lincoln Logs, and other games for the first time in I don’t know how long, and we created, imagined, played, and laughed.
Three: The feeling of meaning in your life.
I’m such a busy person.
I have a very hard time slowing down, and although I feel I find meaning in going and doing…
These past couple of weeks have proven to me that although grand outings and events CAN be fun, they’re not required to showcase my meaning.
My meaning during the summers…is to be with my kids!
To hear them, to converse with them, to love them, and to make memories with them…
None of which require anything more than my presence and attention!
Because acknowledgement is the first sign of love and self-care, I want to present three questions for reflection when it comes to cultivating your inner peace and slowing down:
- How do you know when you are happy?
- What is there to be grateful for in this moment?
- What is your overall worldview? Do you believe the world is uncaring and cold, and that only you can bring about your own success? OR… Do you believe the universe outside is caring and benevolent, and through prayer, will do its best to deliver what you’ve asked for? Expand on this.
Sure, we have had to slow down these past couple weeks, and to be honest, this is not the way I would have chosen to spend a month of our summer time.
But as Haemin shares…
There’s real opportunity in situations where things don’t go our way, as it leads to openness and curiosity.
I can’t say I disagree.
Stay tuned each Sunday to thrive and shine even brighter!
Believing in us, always.
