Here in north Florida this is a magical time of year. The weather is mild and breezy, the sky is blue, and the intense humidity has not yet arrived. The trees and shrubs are bursting with blooms, and the birds and bees are busy. It’s a brief period, to be savored and enjoyed.
Thanks to my yoga practice I have slowed my life’s pace a bit, allowing me to look around and savor these things. What I noticed this week was the smell of orange blossoms. Just about every back yard here has a citrus tree of some sort. They are in full bloom this time of year, and the breeze carries the intoxicating scent. It brings to mind spring times of my youth, a simpler time with fewer worries.
I made it a point this past weekend to get outside in my yard. We have a Meyer lemon tree that has given us several January harvests of big, juicy, bright Meyer lemons. It is full of blooms just now. I spent a large part of Sunday afternoon breathing in the scent and watching the busy bees pollinate the flowers. I started counting the tiny little lemons that will slowly grow between now and next January. It was a stolen afternoon, and I make no apologies for that. It was so fulfilling somehow, to be enjoying those slow, simple pleasures.
Noticing, noticing, noticing
I try to pinpoint things that are uplifting, as well as things that drag me down, noticing the difference and the causes of each. It is amazing just how much of our time we will spend doing things we really don’t want to do and which bring us no joy. All those things we think we have to do or should do. If you aren’t careful those things will drown out everything else. Taking the time to stop and notice what you see, smell, taste, hear and touch, and notice how it makes you feel in your heart, is a bold step toward living your best life.
Today, begin to notice what you are spending your time doing and how it makes you feel. Bored? Frustrated? Unfulfilled? We likely can’t rid our lives of all those things, but we can whittle them down, and instead replace those things with some that bring us joy, fulfillment or peace of mind.
What things will you spend your time doing this week that bring you joy?
