Barefoot Blessings: Basking in the Soul of Summer

Summer is a splashy reward after winter wears out its welcome. Spring barely has time to shake blossoms from her hair before we plunge headfirst into summer plans: vacations, barbecues and home improvement. As birds and humans go about their inspired tasks, bees and butterflies dive into their own nectarous agenda. There is no arguing that we all wake up feeling a little bit younger as the days burn longer.

Pulling weeds from the garden, deadheading the zinnias, digging our toes into wet sand and picking up sustenance at the local farmers market bring us back to our primal rhythm. We are more inclined to throw our cares to the wind and lean out of life’s open car window on the way to nowhere in particular. We do not need a plane ticket to exotic shores to find our bliss, only curiosity to explore our own backyards and fall in love with our familiar, well-worn lives.

Timed perfectly, each blossom on the wayside and in the fields has its own hour and medicine. Wildflower wisdom teaches us that we, too, can flourish on seemingly impossible terrain despite fierce opposition from those who do not recognize our value. The blessing of birdsong reminds us that our own survival game can be equally as beautiful when we embody our unique soul-note. Getting up a little earlier can lower our risk of depression and give us a front-row seat to the dew-covered world. 

June beckons us to light an outdoor fire on the solstice and watch fireflies fall in love in light codes. At full power, the sun represents the sacred masculine and nature’s resurrection. We are invited to dance with the Green Man, Europe’s ancient symbol of rebirth peering from dappled forests and over church doorways. We are invited to schedule some actual repose into our vacations, even if we just take a holiday at home with a good book under a breezy tree. We are invited to live.

Marlaina Donato is an author, painter and composer. Connect at WildflowerLady.com.