5SOS_010 〰️ SUMMER BUMMER EDITION
Background, "Electrify Blue Ice" by Amy Sia / Photograph of me in St. Thomas August 2017 / Edit by me
SUMMER BUMMER
Are you feeling it, too?
The realization struck me just a few moments after the lowest rays of daylight descended my teetering torso -holding fleetingly to tree pose- as sweat beaded down in beats. The salty drips continued -forehead to brow, forehead to brow- while walking out of my steamy yoga studio, and instead of slipping out the front door to greet equally thick air, I slipped on a puffy coat for the first time since March.
It was 7pm, darkness had settled, and everything felt crisp.
A wave of nostalgia crashed in for a season that has not yet past. (Deepak Chopra calls this "Existential Unhappiness" = You thwart current contentment because you worry that you won't be happy in the future.)
🙇🏼♀️🔮🤷🏼♀️
I've always been this way: struggling to savor the moment because my default mode lives in the 'what comes next?' Nostalgia for the here-and-now comes when my brain transports me forward to, in this case, the winter months when I feel nothing but cold and enclosed. The clothes are layered and I feel suffocated in their tight weaves. The sun drifts like a dear friend who's moved juuust far enough away that you don't see her nearly often enough. You're frustrated for not basking in her company while she was so accessible.
The advantage of projecting myself into (what a project to be) a less-than-optimal future place or time is this: when I snap out of it and I come to my senses, I see with crystal clarity the brilliance of this. very. second.
Let's LIVE THESE DAYS like we're busting open fire hydrants and dancing in the final sprays of summer.
1. Sight
I recently found paradise in St. Thomas and St. John...and by the grace of powers out there/up there/way beyond my comprehension, I flew home just before Hurricane Irma hit both islands with tragic ferocity.
As I mentioned in the intro, when I snap out of my distraction with the past or the future, I'm able to see THIS MOMENT for all its beauty. And that's exactly how my mind suspended for seven days while on the USVI's.
My whole self felt right in so many ways: the 98 degree air coalescing with my inherent temperature; the near-equatorial sun harmonizing my circadian rhythm with equal devotion to day and night; the beaches a playground and the ocean a nurturing cradle; the uniform a few triangles of cloth held together by string.
I experienced some of the most magical natural landscapes in a sweet perfection that may not be felt for a very, very long time, and I did not, do not, and never will take that for granted.
2. Sound
This time of year reminds me of going back to school, as in elementary school. And, for me, elementary school fell in the mid 90's. And, for me, that was a massively influential time for music and style.
We had
- Garbage
- Alanis
- Beastie Boys
- Indigo Girls
- Jane's Addiction
- Beck [the Odelay years]
- Sting [the Field's Of Gold years]
- Mary J
- R.E.M.
- STP
- RHCP
- 311
- LIVE
- SWV
- TLC
and THANK GOD we had this fearless little bumble-bee, seeking and finding her tribe in the psychedelic sunshine.
3. Scent
Trust me, if I could halt Earth's movement like Superman and keep us in a perpetual state of summer, I would. But the season is a-changin', and with it comes a need to clean the slate...to clear our space.
I do this by blazing up some Palo Santo smudge sticks.
Photo / Edit by me
The tradition of burning this "holy wood" began with ancient Incan and Andes peoples for spiritual purification and energy cleansing, as noted by Energy Muse. Definitely check that site for more detailed history and information.
I simply relish in the ceremony and scent wafting from Palo Santo's embers. Drifting from resin to citrus to menthol to -obviously- wood and smoke, the combination transports my soul to a fascinating place where I feel all-at-once grounded, uplifted, and expanded.
4. Taste
MANY people have said that I would feel right at home in Hudson, NY. I have yet to get my act together for even a visit, but that's about to change because I just emerged from my black hole and heard about a place mixing
TROPICAL FARE! + ART! + COLORFUL PEOPLE! + EXPLOSIONS OF ECLECTIC DESIGN!
If I go for lunch I'll have the Ceviche Mixto and a Salty Cucumber Umeboshi Fizz Suero...or a Club Mate if I'm feeling the need for high-voltage fuel.
Dinnertime would find me pondering the Ensalata Del Dia while sipping on a chilled Napa Carignan/Zin blend called "Post Flirtation."
What woman in her right mind could pass up Lil' Deb's seductive menu descriptors of "rug burn, night pond, tights off, pillow marks, sticky fingers?"
🙊
5. Touch
I think I created a bangin' mantra for the weeks ahead in my latest Instagram post:
