Summer Savor

I recently enjoyed a long weekend at the beach with friends. Quick beach getaways are one of my favorite ways to step away from the work, and I’m grateful to be able to indulge in this way.

Unfortunately, our resort wasn’t great. The customer service was incredibly poor, and I’m still in awe over the way we were treated. I could go into many stories including the fact that we went 12 hours without access to water due to flooding on one of the floors below us.

But the problems are not my focus for this post. The ocean is. On our last day, the three of us sat with our toes in the sand and watched the shoreline continue to creep closer and closer to our chairs. With the ocean breeze in our hair, we sat mesmerized by the vast beauty of the ocean, and a wave of gratitude fell over me.

In that moment, I felt deeply grateful to be able to sit by the ocean, spend time with cherished people, and to be alive and at peace. As I expressed this to my friends, we found ourselves thinking about those we hold dear who are no longer with us and about how much they would have loved this moment. We also realized how glad they would be that we had this moment for ourselves.

There is much in the world that is scary, concerning, and heavy. Big scary worries aside, I also fill a good amount of my day with small worries and to-do’s too. The older I get the more time seems to fly by – filled with busy.

I think I’m missing some of the best moments. I’m missing them because they are quietly beautiful. Whether it’s that sunrise on the drive into work or that beautiful cardinal perched outside of my office window, I’m frantically moving throughout my day from meeting to meeting and task to task, and I’m missing precious moments.

Many of us will spend this summer focused on what we hope to achieve next school year, focused on how we want to work, and the impact we hope to make. Yes to all of that.

But in saying yes, I don’t want to miss what matters most: focusing on how we want to live.

Perhaps if we found a way to live a little better. Perhaps if we found a way to be a little more awake for the moments. Perhaps if we found a way to listen more intently and feel more deeply, our work would feel more alive. Because we would be more alive in our work.

I can’t believe I’m typing this as someone who really prides herself in hustle. But maybe it’s actually less hustle more heart that sets us apart. You know?

As I mention in my upcoming book, let’s care deeply and work hard on what matters most and give less energy and attention to the things that matter less. Not all work is worth the same level of gusto and energy. It is toxic to commit ourselves to giving 100% in all we do. It cannot be done, and I don’t want to die trying.

I want to live well. I want to work well too, and perhaps the best way to work well is to make living well the highest priority. When we feel good in the work, the work gets better.

And we deserve to feel good.

This summer I hope you are able to center yourself in precious moments of gratitude. Whether it’s casting your eyes upon the ocean or laughing until you cry with a bestie, let’s make this our summer of savor, and let’s carry that sense of calm presence into next school year.