How Do I Have a Mindful Summer?

Summer is here! The long wait is finally over. The dark, cold, dreary days of winter have given way to spring, and now summer. We want to make the most of these short months and enjoy them as much as possible. You may have many fun activities planned for yourself and/or your family, including travel and vacation. How can we stay present in each of these summer moments, instead of getting wrapped up, and maybe even stressed out, in the hustle and bustle? What if we can stay mindful while taking in all that summer has to offer?

Mindfulness means “what are you doing right now?” It means just paying attention to what’s happening in this moment, and being completely absorbed in what you’re doing right now, this instant.

Mindfulness is very simple – when eating, just eat. When walking just walk. When doing the dishes, just do the dishes. It’s very simple, but it’s not easy! That’s because when we’re eating, we’re often not just eating. We’re also thinking about work, bills, or plans. When we’re walking, we’re also thinking about the past, or worries about the future. When we’re doing the dishes, we’re thinking about somewhere else we’d like to be, and something else we’d like to be doing.

Living mindfully means connecting with what we’re doing in this moment, letting go of all thoughts about the past and future. When we can live like this, we start to realize that even the simplest things can bring tremendous joy and satisfaction – because we’re actually participating in them fully! Then we don’t need so much distractions and hustle, we don’t need those cheap dopamine hits. More and more, we can appreciate the completeness of this moment, and the joy that comes from living mindfully. 

What would it be like to live mindfully this summer? You can even start right now, this moment. Actually, each moment is a perfect place to start living mindfully. Each season is the perfect season to start live mindfully.

In spring, hundreds of flowers,

In autumn, a harvest moon.

In summer, a cool breeze,

In winter, snow. 

If useless things do not hang in your mind, 

Any season is a good season for you

-Zen Master Wumen (1183-1260)

Photo credit: Pixabay