Online Newsletter
May 2011 – Living in Sustainable Joy
"When you live your best life, you stay in a perpetual state of curiosity and wonder. You continue to gain a greater understanding of yourself and others. You are ever stretching to new levels, cultivating a joyful and meaningful life" ~ Sandy Moore
In the Northern Hemisphere we are well into Spring, where the days are longer, the temperature is warmer and flowers are blooming everywhere.
This morning, I heard the song I Can See Clearly Now sung with passion and pure joy.
I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,
I can see all obstacles in my way.
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind.
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day. . . .
Sounds perfect for May!
This month, we have the chance to really appreciate all the wonderful things that we have created in our lives. We’ve stayed inside during the long winter and planted the seeds that are now coming forth to create our new life, just as they are blooming all around us in the physical world. In May, we can take some time to honor those efforts and maybe rest a bit as we take time to appreciate all the beauty around us. We can also take time to appreciate all that is good in our own life, all our efforts that are starting to manifest and all our hard work that is coming to fruition.
We have many holidays to help us honor and appreciate this special time of year:
May 1 ~ May Day is a time to celebrate our diversity and the fertility of Spring. May Day (or Beltane) was especially popular in England during medieval times. Activities centered around the maypole, a tree collected from the woods and brought to the village to celebrate the upcoming summer.
May 5 ~ Cinco de Mayo, a national holiday in Mexico, is celebrated in parts of the United States as well.
May 8 ~ Mother’s Day is an ancient holiday honoring mothers and motherhood. This holiday goes back to ancient Greek festivals.
May 15 ~ National Chocolate Chip Day is one of my personal favorites.
May 30 ~ Memorial Day is a time when we honor our veterans with flags, parades, fond memories and often, picnics and BBQs.
If you are looking for more specialized, unique or bizarre holidays in May, check some of the lists like http://familycrafts.about.com/library/spdays/blmaydayslong.htm and http://www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/may.htm.
There are so many reasons to have fun, enjoy life and kick back in May, it’s worth spending some time just doing that. Just a few ideas:
- Turn the computer off
- Put the cell phone, iPad and Blackberry away
- Take a trip to the park with the kids
- Play with a baby
- Watch children play on the playground
- Look into a lover's eyes
- Hug a friend
- Take a walk in the woods
- Hold hands with a parent or grandparent
- Listen to stories of the "good old days" by older relatives and appreciate how far we've come
- Go for a hike in the mountains
- Drive along the coast
- Drive up to the mountains, across the desert, through the plains or down a country road
- Visit a local lake
- Spend a day with friends
- Get a massage and relish feeling taken care of
- Visit a local zoo
- Stroll through the flowers at a nearby park
- Breath the fresh air
- Notice the clear skies
- Watch the stars at night.
Notice that most of these suggest being outdoors. May is usually a pleasant month to do that. Before the heat of summer comes, May usually provides enough sunshine and light and air to be really enjoyable outdoors. Being with other people helps us appreciate the great diversity of the human species. Nothing else provides greater joy than being with people we care about deeply.
Most of us don’t take enough time to appreciate what is right with our world ~ as we rush from one thing to another, marching from deadline to deadline, missing our life in the process.
Taking time to enjoy life — away from the deadlines and schedules — provides a much needed respite that will allow us to see things in a different perspective when we jump back into our regular activities.
Today, before May gets away from you, block out time on your calendar to just enjoy life.
If you are thinking about creating sources of income, new business ideas or exploring expansion of a existing business, our book Income Without a Job has some great creative ideas and exercises to assist with that. The book is a great gift for friends who have been laid off or need extra support during these times.
This page is http://www.income-without-a-job.com/news/may2011.htm
