“Summertime and the living is easy” is the first line of a well-loved Gershwin song. Making a choice to retire just as a Southern Ontario summer begins was fortuitous as this season offers unlimited delights for postworksavvy.
During the past five days I have savoured freshly picked raspberries, celebrated both Canada Day and Independence Day with family and good friends, felt the heat of sun on my face as I languished on the beach, watched the stars while listening to the sounds of leaves from the tree canopy above, and practised yoga outdoors in the early light of each day.
The joy of these simple activities was a different joy than I experienced during my career days because there was no need to rush and each could be approached with the ‘living is easy’ attitude. Getting the ‘living is easy’ attitude is part of postworksavvy.
- My organic raspberry bushes are producing a bumper crop of luscious and sweet berries that keep ripening every day. What a delight to walk out to the garden and eat handfuls of sweet fresh berries! This is truly an effortless pleasure. The best part is that these bushes just keep producing more and more berries. Postworksavvy thinks that qualifies as easy summertime living.
- Celebrating Canada Day and Independence Day provided realization anew of the democratic freedoms that are enjoyed and often taken for granted. As a Canadian I was very proud to host dear friends from New York City as we celebrated the national holidays from both countries. Watching a grand explosion of fireworks over the waters of Lake Huron from an idyllic position on the beach created a childlike wonder as the sky was lit again and again with beautiful colours and the crowd expressed its delight. It is worthwhile to stop and to celebrate the freedoms that two North American nations uphold. Definitely time for fireworks!
- The gift of warm sun on my skin as I do the daily beach walk or as I emerge from a quick dip in the lake is a reminder to enjoy the sweetness of this season. Canadians tend to spend too much time indoors. Summertime allows outside living where the rhythm of nature can enter your body directly and fill your heart with the same warm sunshine. Postwork savvy means having time to put sunshine into your life and into the lives of those around you.
- Watching the wonders of night sky is a rare opportunity when living in the city because light contamination blocks the stars. At the lake the darkness is complete and the panoply of constellations, planets and stars allows the feeling of oneness with the greater universe. The tree canopy formed by giant oak trees provides a soft breeze that has each small leaf murmuring it special night song. How gentle! How easy to miss! Postworksavvy allows time to enjoy this aspect of easy summer living.
- My yoga practice is usually in a pleasant studio but during the past few days it has happened in the cool morning air out on the deck. A couple of bluejays watch, make joking noises and swoop from the roof to deter me and to remind me that I have invaded their morning space. My attempts to master any poses is dwarfed by the effortless elegance of these beautiful birds.
Postworksavvy urges you to enjoy the easy living that summer can bring. Allowing yourself the time to hear the rhythms of nature, to respond to friends and to delight in the season is part of the easy living of summertime. It is a time to be rather than to do. By finding the sun in your life and turning your face to that sun — whoever and whatever that is –you will create your own ‘living easy’ summertime. Enjoy!
For seven months during winter and spring I was either out of the country or in Vancouver. On my return at the end of May I undertook the task of starting a vegetable garden. It was a little late yet was something I’d been yearning to do for the last four years. Working with the soil was exhilarating and it was a pleasure to eat our own organic vegetables.
This summer was different, challenging and rewarding.