25 Summer Delights Bringing Me Joy Right Now
The days are flying past faster and faster. I can’t believe June has already come and gone. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I’m trying to slow down and enjoy summer’s magic and yet, time still flies.
Savoring the present takes focus, intention. If we’re too busy doing, we miss out on the little glimmers of joy surrounding us each and every day.
The antidote to this? Pay attention.
So I sat down this week and wrote a massive Joy List. Took a legal pad and wrote numbers 1-25 along the margin and filled the page with glimmers of joy.
purple poppies… popping
going out for ice cream (and then later buying ice cream and cones to have at home)
the swallowtail butterfly I raised hatching and flying away
discovering my first cherries!
the feel of sunshine on my back as I work in the garden
lots of little green tomatoes
iced tea with mint from my garden
a beautiful day out for our anniversary
using my fun, new, strawberry-patterned tray to bring food and drinks to the patio
peapods, peapods, peapods!
the little wren singing around our yard
salads from the garden
wearing shortalls
watching hummingbirds enjoy my flowers
watering houseplants with water from our rain barrel
fireflies
making spaghetti with an armload of herbs from the garden
meditation in the form of weeding and deadheading
the smell of creeping charlie in the cut grass
robin song from dawn till dusk
late glowing sunsets
misty clouds of cilantro flowers
watching a surprise mullein plant tower into bloom
discovering new color variations in self-seeded viola flowers
looking at other peoples’ gardens when I’m out on walks
Focusing on beauty and wonder and delight helps me pay attention and be present in the moment. Maybe it won’t actually slow time down, but I know it slows me down and that will have to do.
So maybe you want to sit down with paper and pen and write your own list. I’d love to hear some of what’s bringing you joy, so feel free to share in the comments and then go, enjoy your day!