Enjoying Summer

July is my birthday month and has always been the official start of summer. It’s now time to take a vacation or take a few days off just to relax. I’ve taken to redesigning my walking/hiking playlist because I’m listening to smooth and classical jazz in the evenings. It’s my ritual for unwinding after an extremely busy day.

Picking flowers will always be a favorite pastime. Placing blooms in vases is the best way to add a touch of beauty to our homes, and taking time to sit with an iced tea while listening to the rain is always a seasonal favorite.

It’s that time of year to pick flowers from the garden. Blossoms have the incredible power of improving aspects of daily living, such as having a positive effect on our mood, increasing creativity (my favorite), or giving us a sense of comfort. I love viewing these heightened colors spread across the yard up to the deck, because in a few short months they disappear.

Friends are down in Rio living on the beach of Copacabana. They’re relaxing while listening to bossa nova, sipping Caipirinha’s and enjoying the colorful cityscape of green mountains overlooking blue seas. Summer doesn’t get any better……!!!

My brother took this photo from his apartment in DC after a severe thunderstorm on Friday. What is more phenomenal than a double rainbow? I get the science of sunlight hitting a rain droplet, and light being reflected thru the electromagnetic spectrum of wavelengths, plus angles. But I prefer to seeing a rainbow as a magical dynamic of summer.

The sound of a summer rain is always very soothing. It can block extraneous sounds and ease stress. Studies have shown that the sound creates a relaxing environment and can lull you into a deep sleep.

Enjoy the season,
Kathleen