Simple Pleasures – Fun Things To Do This Summer

The lazy, sweet days of summer…
The summer is in full swing and I am thinking about things I can do to really enjoy the fruits of the season. I want to do things that will bring joy and meaning to my summer days. I started to think back to my childhood… I went to camp, played outside, spent my days at the beach… I was carefree and easy drinking bug juice and sailing the summer seas. Childhood immediately brings us to a time where we were playful, joyful, imaginative, and curious. I want this summer to be like that! We are not taking any vacation per say, but as you know I live on an island that is a vacation destination. My challenge to myself is to carve out a little time each day to find a simple pleasure of summer. Here are some of the things that I am going to try to do:

Simple Pleasures – Fun things to do this summer:

  1. Make a sun tea – my husband is always asking for iced tea and though he is a traditional iced tea drinker, I want to make some delicious herbal fruity drink too.
  2. Build a sandcastle – it is so wonderful to just focus on digging in the sand and molding shapes with water and your hands.
  3. Play hopscotch or jacks, or another favorite childhood game like Miss Mary Mack!  That will bring a smile to your face for sure!
  4. Go beachcombing – look for stones, shells, and beach glass, find the sea trinkets that are calling your name.
  5. Gather your family and friends and sit around a firepit and enjoy smores. Sing a campfire song or tell a scary story too!
  6. Retake a picture from an earlier time in your life. Family photos are really fun to do! We did that last summer – in the original photo my kids were 10, 7, and 4, in the re-do, they were 23, 20, and 17.
  7. Play in the waves.  Grab a boogie board or a raft and float in the sea.
  8. Have a bbq and play lawn games – croquet, wiffle or volleyball, or badminton. Capture the flag is one of our family favorites.
  9. Make a chalk drawing on a sidewalk. Let your creativity flow.
  10. 10. Go out for ice cream and an evening stroll. There is nothing like a summer evening and a gelato, ice cream or frozen yogurt. My favorite is frozen yogurt with a little hot fudge.
  11. Play a round of mini golf. When the sun goes down and you are looking for an evening activity, head to your local mini golf course. Make bets with each other and heighten the stakes and the laughs!
  12. Take an outdoor yoga or tai chi class. A great way to begin or end your day, movement and fresh air will help you ground and balance yourself.
  13. Spend an hour under a tree in a hammock. What a peaceful way to recharge and reflect.
  14. Sit outside and read or draw. I love just sitting on my deck with a cup of coffee or tea, reading from my current book, or with a sketchpad in hand, I might color my wildflower garden or the view of the water.
  15. Have a beach picnic at sunset. One of my favorite things to do is be on the beach at sunset. It is not so much the dropping of the sun into the sea, but the afterglow – the light and color in the sky is magnificent. And don’t forget your favorite food and beverages, or your chairs or blanket, so you can relax and enjoy yourself.

    16. Let me know what your summer simple pleasures are and more importantly, how they make you feel. This summer, let’s all feel the joy, the peace, and the love that we deserve.

By |2018-04-11T09:47:09+00:00July 17th, 2016|Simple Pleasures|0 Comments
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Everything Happens for a Reason, or Does it?

Do things happen for a reason, or is it all just random? And so the question of whether or not there is a prescribed path for each of us to follow, a designated sequence of events, is pondered. Is there a grand plan? A friend recently suggested that if indeed there was a grand plan for everyone, then why was I worried or stressed or sad? I should just trust the plan and more importantly, I should try not to analyze “why” things happened. Are there truly lessons to be learned that we contract to experience, lessons that guide us through our own personal mine fields where we bloom or implode, and outcomes are written in our destiny? It is said that our soul’s journey is comprised of prescribed lessons that we agreed to learn before we came into this life, lessons that we will learn no matter what path and relationships we choose. I read that what you are doing does not matter so much as what you are learning from doing it. Maybe then the lesson is not in the “why” it happened, but in the fact that it happened at all. Life is after all about moments. And each moment and event is filled with the opportunity to learn something about our selves. Each moment or event opens the door to other opportunities and paths for us to explore. But are we guided to these certain experiences by some inner aspect of our selves? How often have we known that a decision is correct, or that a choice resonates truth? Would that be a confirmation from our higher self or divine guidance from within? We simply have to follow the path. One friend described her path as “following the bouncing ball.” She had experienced something extraordinary and now was attuned to the sound of that bounce – the one that reverberates and says, “come” and adds “do not fear for all will be ok.” When I think of my path, I think of following a thread – or a ribbon that is at my place at the table and winds its way through and intersects with other ribbons, embodying all that it feels, sees, senses, and hears, becoming educated in who it is so that when it reaches the big centerpiece box filled with surprises and joy in the center, it lands in gratitude. I like that metaphor – each day, each experience is new and so a surprise, and the hope is that at our center, our lives are filled with gratitude and joy. It is of course up to us to make the choices, have the perspective, and the perceptions that can lead us through our imbedded scripts where we will encounter the conflict and pain that will deliver us to that joy filled center. When I watched Life of Pi, I was struck by something the father said, “How can you find your way if you don’t choose a path?” There is always some choice that we will have to make, that will determine what we will experience, what relationships we have, what paths we follow. It is our free will that we must exercise, that we can exercise, to enjoy the surprises that the bouncing ball or the thread invite us to explore. And it is also our free will that can keep us open and listening for that inner voice, our inner guide that does indeed seem to know what is best for us, that informs us of what is true, what path we should follow, and when we will learn the lessons we came to learn. My astrologer of twenty years always reminds me that free will can change everything. It can affect timing, circumstances, and relationships. But ultimately it guides us to see what is within us. It instructs us to transform the way we view our selves and everything around us. So let us bless this idea that things happen for a reason, that we will learn our lessons, and that there exists within us a higher intuitive self that offers guidance and insight. And as for free will changing everything, let it change us all, and the world, for good.
 
though we can't always see it at the time
photo Jackie Jones – follow Jackie on instagram @funksista75
By |2016-05-25T18:12:51+00:00May 25th, 2016|Dive Deeply|3 Comments
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Sometimes you just have to say, “It is what it is.”

“Take things as they come.”  “Be present.”  “Live the moment.”  All great drops of advice and all important to having peace in your heart.  So why is it that we have such a difficult time doing them?  Many of us analyze, over analyze, think, and over think why certain events and relationships happen in our lives.  We are stuck on not only the fact that they happened, but on the why.  After all, everything happens for a reason.  But is it so important to know that reason?  Can’t we just accept that it happened and look for what it has shown us, taught us, and how it has helped us grow? 

If there was ever a statement that strongly resonated with me it would be Caroline Myss’ words: “Let me give up the need to know why things happen as they do. I will never know and constant wondering is constant suffering.” I spent years trying to find the reason why something happened, why I made the choice I did, why things had worked out as they had.  It was so painful and I suffered greatly.  Living in the past or holding on to a fantasy is such a waste of energy. And it causes great hardship. Trying to decipher all the meanings in our personal universe is exhausting and we may not find all the answers we seek, or want for that matter. The search could be enlightening, but most often we feel anguish, sadness, and heartbreak when we remain in that search for the reasons why.

We all make mistakes.  We all experience some emotional trauma. We all suffer.  But we have the power, the choice, to free ourselves from that pain.  I have often joked with friends about how it is time to get off misery road, that it is within our power to change the trajectory of our lives. We must choose to be vigilant and redirect our thoughts away from the questions of why something happened, why a relationship soured, why a person is the way they are, why a job didn’t work out,  why we had to lose a loved one… why our life is the way it is.  The best thing we can do for ourselves is give up the need to know why things happen as they do and just accept that they did, that they are as they are now.  Just accept and allow the lesson. I dislike the expression, “It is what it is,” but it is the truth, and I find myself thinking or saying those words a lot lately.   

So turn off of misery road and turn on to the road of joy, of happiness, of contentment, and of peace.  Turn off your wondering mind. Cease the inquiry. Give up the need to know the why and concentrate on what is – focus on the present moment, and then focus on each subsequent moment as you experience life.  “Take things as they come.” “Be present.” “Live the moment.”  Accept this very moment and all that it holds for you.  Peace of mind and soul can be yours. It is your choice.

it is within our power to change the trajectory of our lives

By |2016-03-04T10:21:51+00:00March 4th, 2016|More Emotional Weather|2 Comments
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Make a Promise to Yourself

I have been thinking about how New Years is coming and that there is always this pressure to make resolutions.  Resolutions I might add that few of us are really able to keep.  So I decided something.  Instead of a resolution, I am going to make a promise – a promise to myself, to do something for myself each day.  Something that will make me smile, that will make me feel good about who I am and the path I am on.  As I thought about what promise I was going to make to myself, I thought about all the possibilities – exercise everyday, meditate every morning and night, take a class, eat healthier, sleep more… but I wanted it even simpler and easier to do. So I decided – I am going to wear something luxurious everyday.  Be it a great sweater, a beautiful silk scarf, cashmere gloves perhaps… I want to feel something on my body that feels cozy and luscious.  I want to sense beauty and softness on my skin… to remind me of my blessings and of the good that exists in the world. 

What a perfect time of year to make a promise to one’s self… to do something that makes you feel good every day.  Even if it is just wearing a favorite hat.  Pave your path with joyful moments. Take heart in the present moment. Make a promise to yourself.  No resolutions… a promise, to be kept daily.   ~ jill <3

PicMonkey Collage

By |2015-12-26T11:26:56+00:00December 28th, 2015|Quotes and Thoughts|2 Comments
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Birthday Giveaway!

It’s my birthday and I am celebrating on my facebook page https://www.facebook.com/soulofamermaid. I have some wonderful gifts to give away…

You’ll need to do these things to enter: FIRST, in the comments of this post tell me what you do, or what you would like to do to celebrate your birthday! And I need your e-mail address so please either write that in the comments or pm me. NEXT, if you are on facebook, please make sure that you have liked my page and all the other participating pages too… you can swim over and say hello with a tail splash!  And the LAST thing is to please share one of my original posts so that I Must Be A Mermaid continues to grow and thrive in this great ocean of social media!

Thank you so very much for swimming with me! I am so grateful for all of your love and support. I have enjoyed riding the waves of life with you all!

Here are the pages and descriptions of the giveaway gifts:

Mermaid Musings – Release your inner mermaid and wear your passion proudly! This Bohemian metallic turquoise leather cord bracelet is approximately 7 ¼ inches long, and features a Tibetan silver mermaid/whale tail, Bohemian metallic beads, and a Silver Vintage-style bead closure. Looks incredible worn alone, or stacked with other bohemian ocean bracelets. https://www.etsy.com/shop/MermaidMusingsOcean

Peace of the Beach – Matte print. Many of you are familiar with the beautiful photography by Marianne Mollica! This is one of my favorites… I love the rolling waves.

Jagged Touch Studio – Sweet mermaid piece is an 11×14 matted giclee print with these words: Breathe in the laughter of the autumn breeze dancing through the trees.
Breathe in the tears of the stormy days when breathing feels absolutely impossible.
Breathe in the sounds of the Ocean waves as their Music reminds you to dance again.
Breathe in the love of the warmth of the sun that awakens your soul to the possibilities.
Just Breathe.
http://jaggedtouchstudio.com/portfolio/

Mermaid Shack – Mermaid Shack’s 2016 Calendar provides whimsy, color and fun on each of the 12 individual 5″ x 7″ sheets. Professionally printed matte sheets. Calendars are available for sale atMermaidShack.com

Sea Quarius Skincare – Sea Your Beauty – Love these products from the sea! The SeaQuarius “Sea Clean” is a natural deep seawater, olive, and virgin coconut oil facial wash. It purifies and leaves the skin feeling as if you just stepped out of the Sea, because you have…
http://www.oceanskincare.com/SeaQuarius_Sea_Clean_p/sea-clean.htm

Seaside by Arlene – Many of you know Arlene’s work. Sea glass jewelry- white sea glass with purple and aqua blue sea glass inside. This necklace is made from sea glass Arlene hand picked on the shoreline of the beaches from Kittery, Maine to as far north as Beals Island Maine. On an 18″ sterling silver chain.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/Seasidebyarlene3

Thanks for celebrating birthday number 3 with me! Swim close. I will be announcing and e-mailing the winners on Tuesday, November 10th.

~ jill 

3rd b-day giveaway collage

 

By |2015-11-08T16:52:39+00:00November 8th, 2015|Uncategorized|3 Comments
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See The Light Within You

So often we search for something that will make us feel better, something that will make us feel inspired, loved.  I was watching the Dr. Wayne Dyer movie “The Shift” the other day. There were so many things that he talked about that made me laugh, cry, and think. But his words about how everything we needed was given to us in the womb resonated deeply for me.  That during those nine months of our development, we are given everything we need on every level – physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual – everything that we need to take us through our lives.  So the idea that everything is within us has been sitting within me. That we must search within ourselves for all that we feel for some reason is outside of us, out there somewhere.  But it is not.  The light that guides us, that loves us, that inspires us, is easily found within, if we can just dive deep, and see it.

 

be inspired. see the light within you.

By |2015-09-06T13:10:53+00:00September 8th, 2015|Dive Deeply, Emotional Weather on the "8's"|4 Comments
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