1. Savor, don’t gulp, a piece of summer fruit.
Take a bite of summer fruit, like a peach or a melon, and chew it slowly, allowing it to almost dissolve in your mouth. Normally, we eat so quickly. But if we take our time, we can really be transported into an awareness of taste, the sense of taste. Plus it’s a way of pausing to enjoy the last bits of what summer’s given us.
2. Hug a tree (just a little).
Go outside and find a tree. Put your hand on the trunk, and then stretch your arm out, so you get a nice stretch across your chest. Then, while you’re stretching the next arm, take a look up at the green leaves while we still have them. You’re creating a healing connection with nature, which is far easier to do in the summer than it is in the winter.
3. Meditatively walk to the car.
Before everything gets revved up in the fall, slow your pace and really take notice of where you are, rather than just going from point A to point B. (Or talking on your phone.) While it’s still warm, slow down, because before we know it, we’ll be huddling indoors and back to rushing from place to place. —Lisa Elaine Held
