I read recently that the summer solstice is a good time to reflect on all that you have accomplished so far for the year. Which coincides with other advice I was given recently to focus on a daily accomplishment list v having all the focus on the daily to do list… and I think this is a great practice! I spend so much time thinking about what’s next and how long will it take and what can I do after that and after that and after that.
This was especially helpful this year. A year when I thought I would have been much further along is setting up my business by now. And at first I was fighting with the self imposed timeline and beating myself up and pushing myself to find other ways to approach moving this along. At a certain point though, I had to realize things were way out of my hands and I surrendered to being at the mercy of when our lawyer would call us back or whether or not it was going to rain and if the land would be dry enough to work on. Not much can be done to control the weather - or our lawyer - so I had to surrender. Then the final phase has been not just acceptance but embracing these ‘delays.’
I have been able to spend the last 6 months working on my house - lovingly spackling and caulking and painting the walls, preparing the guest room to properly embrace guests - instead of the air mattress that was one in there creepily next to an old bed frame and box spring, designing and sourcing materials for the two downstairs half bathrooms and working with an incredible contractor to transform them from rooms that I used to not dare enter, to spaces that start to tell the story of how the whole house will one day feel.
I have been able to spend the last 6 months welcoming friends and family into my home - almost every weekend! Each and every one of them has injected life into a place that was vacant for two years prior to us moving in. All of that love and energy is doing wonders to bring this space back to life and help create a welcoming nourishing home for us and for the next guests.
I have been able to spend the last 6 months making new friends! - which has been one of the most thrilling parts of the move. I really had no idea before getting here, that I would meet so many people that I would connect with and that I shared views and values with. And in places like this the neighbors really do come by to introduce themselves, to welcome you to the neighborhood and to bring you plants for your yard and advice on home ownership and things to do in the area.
I have been able to spend the last 6 months getting to know the land and property - to watch the view from the front porch shift from barren and sparse to lush and green, to discover the edible weeds of mustard greens, sorrel, oregano, mint, to delight in awe on each morning dog walk at the never ending rainbow of colors of the wild flowers popping up all around the property, to anticipate what will be next as apples, strawberries, blueberries and raspberries all flower and start to bloom in little green buds. And to add to the already wild offerings, building a garden fence and planting a vegetable garden was a dream come true (except for the digging of those post holes in the rocky soil. That nearly broke Ariel’s soul)! And the pond - that some call a pool. Cleaning that was such a learning experience - Cleaning the pond was a million learning experiences - in estimating a timeline, in the eco-system of a spring fed pond, and in the miracles of man-made stone pond engineering.
I have also been so so very lucky to spend these last 6 months resting and taking care of myself. To enjoy myself and set my own schedule. To rest when I need to rest - which has been way way more than I expected. I knew coming out of 20+ years in the corporate world that I would need to detoxify and decompress, I just didn’t expect it to be quite so overwhelming and all consuming sometimes. So many naps.
And with the solstice and the strength of the sun comes the masculine energy and the urge and motivation to take action, to move things forward. The longer days beg to be filled with outside activities and the to-do list continues to grow. And I can’t wait to keep planting, and weeding and creating outdoor areas to gather where perhaps the bugs won’t be so close (screening in a part of the front porch and various mosquito netting projects await) but taking this time to reflect and appreciate how far I have come seems very meaningful and very necessary. There is something new to learn from this place every single day and pausing to remember that and enjoy that has been worth every single minute.