Concept | September '20
The very last breath of summer.
It is safe to say that my body (and mind) are seasonally confused. With Northern California’s late summer, part of me feels like the season is only beginning here. However the weight of this year is begging for the next season to begin so that 2020 can conclude.
Wishing the year over, while tempting, I feel contradicts the rather stoic teachings of 2020. This year, we were forced to pause. Forced to cease all knowns and confront brutal unknowns directly head on. In those confrontations, we met fear, anger, sadness, loneliness, and what felt a lot like trying to run in a pool of water. Trying so desperately to move, yet failing despite massive physical effort. But above all, the most valuable confrontation for me this year was knowledge. This year was the year of learning the uncomfortable truths. It was about learning to sit, walled in by confusion and discomfort, with an open heart and mind. So while wishing 2020 a sweet and brisk end, I’m also actively still trying to be uncomfortably open and raw.
I’m still sitting here saying, alright 2020, what else are you here to teach me?
These learnings will stay with me my entire life, and most likely continue to inform how I live forever.
So at the beginning of a new month on the cusp of a new season, I’m begging myself to honor the moment I’m in while not constantly looking forward to the next thing. What if, like eating intuitively–we lived intuitively? Eating intuitively means nourishing your body when its naturally hungry–listening to the deep inner needs of your body and prioritizing them through the foods you ingest. It means eating when your body asks for food through hunger, instead of at “lunch time” because you’ve been programmed to eat at that time even if you’re not hungry. Living intuitively could mean honoring the season of the earth and letting it inform your lifestyle. Like honoring the depths of the Northern California summer through September as opposed to running towards fall because pumpkin spice is now available everywhere.
This month, I’m honoring the way my body feels–which is still in complete summer mode; stone fruits, basil, trips to the beach, afternoons in the sun with a good book, al fresco dinners in the sunshine that lasts till 8 pm.
If this year has taught me anything, its that your own inner drum is a vital note in the melody of life. The power will go out, the wifi will go down, the apps will fail, the government could shut down, the shops may close–and you’ll be left with your own inner drum still beating. So listen to it–let it guide you. Let it be the force that truly defines you–as opposed to all of those outside forces that can (and most likely will) abandon. If it tells you to honor the earth and the weather over the ads and the emails–then listen to it.
Wherever you are, I hope September is seeped in personal intention.
A few things I’m up to this month
Enjoying the long Labor Day weekend at home in the Easy Bay with family.
Taking a road trip up to Oregon for a week in a house in the woods–social distance nature exploring, hikes, and hopefully some river floats.
I subscribed to a few new magazines recently–excited for them to arrive!
Hunting for an art piece for our living room to go above the new desk!
Starting a new book–I’m going to the book store tomorrow to pick up a few good reads
More baths. They are so relaxing right before bed–I always sleep so well right afterwards.
