DOUBLE DOWN ON...

..DELIGHT. That’s exactly what I have been doing lately which is why this month’s e-newsletter is getting sent out at the VERY last minute. But there is a lot of unexpected GOOD ENERGY flowing into my life recently. So I am doing my best to preserve space and time to remain fully present in it. I certainly had less minutes to tend to certain tasks (like this…lol) — resulting in my June correspondence to all of you being delayed, and shorter, than usual. Yet sometimes “different” winds up being BETTER than the norm.

SUMMER tends to disrupt our routines no matter how tightly we cling to the “schedule.” Thus, it’s totally okay to give yourself permission to try something new (such as a food writing); yoga or Pilates; or DIY frozen yogurt. And if you’re someone like me who tends to lean heavily into “the doing” year-round, maybe allow yourself to embrace the next couple of months as a season of REST. Take long runs/walks with friends or pets. Chill by a fire. Sleep in. Anything that helps you feel less stressed — and more ALIVE —is fair game in my opinion.

I already know my body (as well as mind) will need major TLC after the 25k Afton Trail Run I am doing this upcoming weekend. Thankfully I already have Dr. Doug’s Magnesium Balm at the ready for when race day is over. The only missing piece to my “chill puzzle” is figuring out which audiobook to listen to while I am in full recovery mode. My latest listen was Vanessa Miller’s The American Queen, a riveting historical fiction narrative about a thriving commune built by—and for — formerly enslaved individuals in the late 1800s. Books that entertain as well as inform are pure GOLD.

Treasure them — plus your capacity to FEEL, LAUGH and HEAL— daily.

~Rachel