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When I wrote down my big dream seven years ago, I said wanted to live on an island with an everlasting summer.
Now here I am.
Everyday the same season.
The sun high in the sky, always warming, always kissing my bare feet.
And this means something, not just for me, but for everyone who lives here. An everlasting summer changes things. It changes how we think and perceive time.
Did you know that people who live near the equator are more present-oriented? Studies show that because there are no seasons (or if there are, there are only slight differences) in areas closer to the equator, it doesn't look like time is passing and inhabitants don't prepare for the future as much as Northerners do.
If you want to learn more about this subject, watch this video with Professor Philip Zimbardo explaining how time perspectives affect work, health, and well being.
Now here I am.
Everyday the same season.
The sun high in the sky, always warming, always kissing my bare feet.
And this means something, not just for me, but for everyone who lives here. An everlasting summer changes things. It changes how we think and perceive time.
Did you know that people who live near the equator are more present-oriented? Studies show that because there are no seasons (or if there are, there are only slight differences) in areas closer to the equator, it doesn't look like time is passing and inhabitants don't prepare for the future as much as Northerners do.
If you want to learn more about this subject, watch this video with Professor Philip Zimbardo explaining how time perspectives affect work, health, and well being.
It wouldn't surprise me to see a sign like this around here.
I can attest to all this. Days slip by. People forget what day it is. No one wears a watch. And even though I grew up in south Texas, my perspective on time is much more future-oriented than those who've grown up on this island.
The northern folk can't understand this. We get frustrated and impatient when the islanders take their time. We don't get why they don't plan for the future. And we certainly don't understand why they find it perfectly fine to take two hour naps during a lunch break.
It all makes sense now, of course, and to tell you the truth, I think they've got it right. I mean, the whole idea behind this blog is sacred present time! The middle, the present, the taking it easy one breath at a time.
It's good to plan for the future and nice to dream about what it has in store, but what about now?
It's time to get on island time.
Sloooow down.
Get in the longest line at the supermarket and practice patience.
Morning yoga and meditation.
Sit back and eat a mango. Don't do anything else. Just enjoy it.
Take a two hour nap.
Sip your morning coffee and stare out the window. Listen to the birds.
Go for a walk for no reason but to enjoy it.
Don't plan your weekend. Let life flow.
Think about the one thing that would make you happiest right now. Do it.
Have a dinner party, drink wine, laugh and talk for hours. No plans.
Savor this moment. It's all you have.
Go at your own pace.
Take a slow, deep breath. Hold it at the top of your head. Now let it go and relax.
When you're on your commute, change your perception from this sucks to ahhh...me time.
Island time is present time.
Island time is today is a miracle and I will cherish it.
Island time is living, laughing, loving, opening, flowing.
The island is teaching me these things. The sun is saying it's okay to just be. It's okay to slow down, darling. There's a lot of tension, a lot of anxious energy still swirling in my body - years of go go go, push push push, faster now.
Tomorrow may never come, but today is here. Let's snuggle up next to today. Let's live on island time.
The northern folk can't understand this. We get frustrated and impatient when the islanders take their time. We don't get why they don't plan for the future. And we certainly don't understand why they find it perfectly fine to take two hour naps during a lunch break.
It all makes sense now, of course, and to tell you the truth, I think they've got it right. I mean, the whole idea behind this blog is sacred present time! The middle, the present, the taking it easy one breath at a time.
It's good to plan for the future and nice to dream about what it has in store, but what about now?
It's time to get on island time.
Sloooow down.
Get in the longest line at the supermarket and practice patience.
Morning yoga and meditation.
Sit back and eat a mango. Don't do anything else. Just enjoy it.
Take a two hour nap.
Sip your morning coffee and stare out the window. Listen to the birds.
Go for a walk for no reason but to enjoy it.
Don't plan your weekend. Let life flow.
Think about the one thing that would make you happiest right now. Do it.
Have a dinner party, drink wine, laugh and talk for hours. No plans.
Savor this moment. It's all you have.
Go at your own pace.
Take a slow, deep breath. Hold it at the top of your head. Now let it go and relax.
When you're on your commute, change your perception from this sucks to ahhh...me time.
Island time is present time.
Island time is today is a miracle and I will cherish it.
Island time is living, laughing, loving, opening, flowing.
The island is teaching me these things. The sun is saying it's okay to just be. It's okay to slow down, darling. There's a lot of tension, a lot of anxious energy still swirling in my body - years of go go go, push push push, faster now.
Tomorrow may never come, but today is here. Let's snuggle up next to today. Let's live on island time.
