Creating Priceless Summer Moments

How is your July going? I always feel like summer is almost gone or at least zooms faster once the fourth of July comes and goes. And here we are again!

New Beginnings

This feels like an especially busy month for us as all of our adult children (all four of them) are either having a new baby this month (that makes 12 grands for us!) or they are physically moving to a new home. I think our holiday newsletter this year will definitely be something about new beginnings. How about your families, is it getting harder to keep up with all that is going on, especially in summer vacation time?

The Perfect Picture

Before all the summer activities began, I went to visit my mom. My sister, Debbie, snapped the picture of us at the top of this blog. It truly captured the perfect moment. I was thinking about how wonderful life felt in that ordinary moment: I had just finished a beautiful puzzle with my mom. She was smiling and having fun as we completed the puzzle together. We basked in the sunshine of my sister’s lovely home. Lunch was in the oven and smelling heavenly. Every sense was content and life felt so good. Suddenly it was an extraordinary moment.

One Liners

I’m pretty good about writing down “one liners” that I hear or read and really like but really bad about noting their source. In those notes, I wrote: happiness isn’t found in constant pleasure, but in moments that make ordinary things feel extraordinary. That picture with mom was one of those moments. Priceless in many ways.

The Last Time You Felt That Way

Do you remember the last time you had that feeling? It’s not often at an event or special occasion; it just hits you all at once triggered by a smile or a smell or a scenic moment or a hug. For me it probably happens more often in summertime as my “workcation” travels take me places out of my normal surroundings and more around family, friends, etc. that I don’t get to connect with in person often enough throughout the rest of the year.

Health Is Priceless

I normally write about financial health related topics since money is such an important tool that we need to use in our lives. But this month the “priceless” aspect of our overall health is so top of mind for me that I wanted to share and hear from this community about your extraordinary moments.

Your Triggers

Mother nature, wildlife, baking smells and children’s faces seem to have a way of turning ordinary into extraordinary moments for me. What are your triggers? Any common settings or activities that put you into that extraordinary mode? Can you intentionally put yourself in those environments to experience the extraordinary more often?

Grandkids’ One Liners

As a Mimi, I hear some pretty cute one liners when visiting our grandchildren that make me smile and sometimes lead to that priceless moment. I missed you, Mimi! You’re squishy, Mimi (not really my favorite thing to hear!). Our secret three squeeze hand hold (which means “I love you!”). And our ongoing tease about don’t say goodbye… instead say: See ya later, alligator! After while crocodile! Not too soon you big baboon! You can tell most of our grands are under 10 years old.

Older and Wiser

It seems as we get older and wiser, it’s the simple things in life that we often enjoy the most. I still find myself appreciating weekends when we don’t have anything on the calendar and we don’t have to be running anywhere. Staying home, catching up on phone visits or reading or house projects, and enjoying home cooked meals is a favorite weekend staycation at our house.

Ironically, I recently met a woman who coordinated an interview series with women about how to pivot in life (I hope to share some of her nuggets in the future) and her introductory email to me contained a quote that has stuck with me all summer. It’s the last line from the poem The Summer Day, by Mary Oliver.

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” The words one, wild and precious all jump out at me in that question. We only live once, so how do we want it to go and what are we doing about that? If you reflect on your life, it really has been a wild ride in some way, shape or form. And the word precious is the best reminder that each day is a gift.

So the more chances we can enjoy the transformation of an ordinary moment into an extraordinary one, the better. Wishing you many wild, precious, and priceless moments this summer and throughout your 60 plus years!

Let’s Have a Conversation:

What ordinary turned extraordinary moments have you enjoyed? What made them priceless to you? How can you have more of them? Let’s have a discussion.