"Summer Afternoon - summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language."
Henry James
It is summer here in the northern hemisphere, what a beautiful time! Our refreshing summer this year is relatively cool with low humidity, mostly clear skies and fresh breeze. Our bodies feel relaxed enjoying, for now, less blazing hot parching weather. It feels like early fall "already."
What do I feel about summer?
I feel: a four year old child running gleefully through the sand at Daytona Beach, Florida. I tossed vanilla wafers to the flying seagulls circling and shrieking overhead. They caught the cookies in mid air! I laughed with joy and wonder! My parents and I dug in the sand, I filled my blue and white sand pail with fresh seashells.
I feel: "three months with no school" freedom. I remember one June, I stood in the back yard surrounded by tall trees feathering overhead. Spots of sun coins peeked through the deep shade illuminating the emerald grass shadow land. I was seven years old, and my Mom had planted small Sweet William flower bushes gloriously blooming. The fragrance spread through the air from candy pink and white blossoms tossing in the wind.
I feel: touching my grass forest with my hands, pretending the seeded fronds were really giant forest trees. I took my toy animals out under the trees.
I feel: my first puppy Patches the Beagle's shiny smooth short coat. His playful puppy bark, and his puppy way of chewing things remains in my memory. Later Patches found his true home, a friend took Patches to become his hunting companion. Patches loved playing with my smooth walking stick. I picked it up in Cooks' Forest in Pennsylvania under the quiet canopy of pines.
Later I found Albert Payson Terhune's Collie books and became a Collie Fancier.
Breathing and Stretching into my day:
"It doesn't get any better than this...."
Namaste~
Blog Key Word Search: Horse, Dog, Cat, Tai Chi and Meditation
Resources:
Albert Payson Terhune, author, journalist, mystic. Lad a Dog, Grey Dawn and other books captured many collie lovers' attention.
Paul Lam, M.D., Tai Chi for Health Worldwide. Tai Chi enters the entire arena of your life.
Deepak Chopra, M.D., author, spiritual teacher, Chopra Center Meditation
Dahlis Roy: Visionary Artist, Author, and Tai Chi Instructor
Photos
Capturing a Shell, photo by Dahlis
Grass Forming Seeds, photo by Paul
Dahlis with Patches and Dahlis and Laddie, photos by my Dad, Robert G. Diess
Dahlis, Tai Chi in Arizona Mountains, photo by Paul
