ANTICIPATION | Summer

My first Southampton Spring was painfully slow in arriving as we felt the bluster of winter through late April. (And until today which is definitely summer weather, some would accurately assert that Spring never arrived given that we had only four days above 15°C – it was primarily cold and blustery).

My March was spent in Turks & Caicos which definitely took the edge off my seasonal frustration. Sadly, I woke every morning to the news filled with what new horror Putin had imposed on Ukraine. One thing is clear, the phrase “never again” is an empty one. Happily, I was able to focus more on the positive as there was a revolving door of friends to keep me company – and much fun was had with my (now concluded) Match.com experiment.

The pandemic lingers on and I’m waiting impatiently for my fourth shot - well aware that many in the world haven’t even had a first. Mask mandates were rescinded far too early leaving the most vulnerable populations at risk. As an immunocompromised person, I’m sensitive to their plight. I returned from my holiday and have spent most of my time at home, still ordering my groceries rather than shopping myself, and limiting my exposure to too many people or enclosed spaces. This caused me to miss the James Taylor/Jackson Browne concert but I’d far rather be safe than sorry.

I’m welcoming Summer from the comfort of my front porch, listening to the squawk of seagulls, the crashing of the great Lake Huron waves, and the breezes through my wind chime.

The painful plantar fasciitis was treated and I’ve been able to walk and stretch daily. I continue with my twice-weekly reformer Pilates classes with Jackie, along with my weekly visits to the chiropractor and RMT, and I’ve added in a pelvic therapist - as a delightful result, my hip is slowly becoming less locked and painful. One goal (almost) met!

As for my plans for the rest of Summer:

MOVE MORE which I hope includes swimming in a friend’s saltwater pool a few times a week. One thing I learned while away is that I really enjoy the weightlessness of swimming. I bought a few tools that I used at Canyon Ranch in order to push myself to have more strenuous workouts. I also hope to start using my CrossRope and Rebounder.

OUTLINE a few stories I’ve had rattling around and hone a few already on paper. I need to decide which characters I can tolerate living with in my head (literally talking to me) for 3+ years. I think I’ve settled on a genre that’ll work for me so I’ll start with it - elevated chick lit for the older crowd. It seems to be an untapped audience.

PARTICIPATE with my camera on photo walks, various field trips, and #AugustBreak2022 with Susannah Conway (prompts will go up in late July). I’d like to explore the area - and not just Southampton. I’ve just started looking into where to find local waterfalls and expect to take myself on a few drives throughout Bruce, Grey and Huron counties.

MINDFULLY MANIFEST the life I want to live. Spring offered me a multitude of opportunities to challenge what I thought I wanted. Now it’s time to put out to the universe what it is I want to invite into my life and how best I will be able to serve myself and others going forward.

A lot of summer activities will be, of course, dependent upon whatever course the pandemic decides to take. I can’t believe mid-July will mark a full year of my living up here. Beyond my plans outlined above, we are hoping to return to Cape Cod at some point, I’d like to bring Bill’s ashes home to the Bellisle Bay, and I’m hoping to host friends and family up here over the weekends since it seems I’m the only one not working at a full-time job!

I’m purposefully keeping my lists short in order to allow for more magic to show up - fully embracing my que sera sera belief. (Every time I write out that phrase, I remember swinging on an old-fashioned double glider swing with the daughter of my parent's friends when I was about 7 or 8. We were singing that song at the top of our lungs. Who knew that 50 years later it would become my theme?)

Summer will look much like every other season: I’ll focus on my health by sleeping more, moving more, eating more, drinking more water, meditating more, listening to my body more; reading what I want to write and writing what I want to read; visit, call and text with friends and family; take and post photos and participate in visual challenges; support hard-hit local restaurants either with take-out or eat-in. I’ve really found a good groove, a life that suits me. The seasons change the flavour of my activities, but the activities remain the same. I like it!