Ahhhh…at long last, summertime is here!   The backpacks are put away, the kids have put down their pencils, and the alarm clocks are turned off for a few months signaling that more laid back time of the year we greatly anticipate, called “summer.”

What does summer signal for you?  Is there a special significance or meaning you have attached to summer from your memories of childhood or from years when you were raising your own family?  What importance does summer play in our lives or do we view it as just another season of the year to endure the heat and humidity and look forward to the cooler days ahead when Fall arrives?

Actually, summer can provide some of the best opportunities to join in fun activities as a family and make memories that last forever.   Some of  the best memories I have as a Mother of four are of our family trips to the beach.   We would build elaborate sandcastles together—complete with deep motes, which we would take turns filling with our buckets of sea water.   Whether we were gathering sand dollars on the beach, boating and teaching the kids to water ski, riding the roller coaster at our favorite amusement park, swimming together, getting a frozen custard on a hot afternoon, or driving in the car to our favorite beach in Florida, we all relished in the bliss of summertime!

Summer provides us a natural pause in our crazy–busy lives to slow down and savor the joys of life.   Whether your kids are young and still in your nest, or older now with a nest of their own, take advantage of this most pleasurable season of the year we call “summer.”  Find new ways to enjoy and savor the beauty of summertime by slowing down the pace of life and finding the awe in the reddish-orange glow of a summer sunset, or in the millions of twinkling stars on a hot summer night, or in watching the hummingbirds enjoy your flowers.

We are happier people when we savor with gratitude the gifts that come with each new day!  Research has shown that people who live a life with gratitude tend to be happier and live longer in many cases.  Summer provides us with the opportunity to take advantage of  more hours of daylight  in which to be outside and enjoy nature or our favorite  activities, resulting in more savoring, more happy times, and more summertime bliss!

Do you want to be able to savor more in life, and enjoy the slower pace of summer while making memories with those you love to last a lifetime?  Do you want to experience summertime “bliss?”  Then, celebrate this season of summer and find the awe in the everyday life around you.  Slow down the pace, live in the moment, engage in activities you enjoy, and allow your soul to be replenished with the joys of life that surround you.

– Deborah Olson, M.A., LPC