When I was in L.O. Donald Elementary School in the 1960’s, we had an ending-of-school ritual that I looked forward to starting the first of May.
The last day of school was only a half-day.
A special bell sounded a little before noon, and the entire school gathered around the flag pole. The flag was lowered while a student played “taps” on the trumpet. We would salute the flag, and then another final bell would sound…signaling the ending of the school year and the beginning of summer vacation.
No school for three months! Screams and cheers would go up to the heavens.
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In Part One of Wisdom from the Woods “The Healing Journey”, Ginny wrote about the “rituals” she created to ground her: juicing for breakfast, mindfully cleaning up her cabin, taking those glorious morning walks in the woods, and many others.
Rituals connect us to a deeper place within.
The idea of “rituals” comes to us from sacred religious ceremony…those acts filled with symbolism connecting us to a deeper place within. We have our own personal daily rituals…whether it is a morning routine or saying our prayers before bedtime.
Some rituals are more special than others…they are meaningful experiences that are internally motivated and evoke good feelings of connection.
Wisdom from the Woods reminds us about those rituals and helps us to honor them.
I fondly remember my summertime rituals in childhood.
“No school” meant that I could sleep later in the mornings.
The longer hours of sunlight allowed us to play “until dark.”
Friends and family would come over for a summer party and we made homemade ice-cream in a hand-cranked freezer with salt, ice, and newspapers stacked on top of the freezer while it “set.”
And a personal favorite… saving up enough money to go with my friends to Six Flags Over Texas and enjoy the rides until the park closed.
What are my summertime rituals now?
The first swim in our friend’s beautiful swimming pool.
Grilling steaks, hamburgers, or hot dogs with friends and refreshing “adult beverages” which fuel laughter and storytelling.
Evening walks when the hot summer sun is setting and the cooler breezes begin to blow.
Finding the perfect, sweet, crisp watermelon, cutting into it, and sharing a slice with friends.
What are your favorite summertime rituals?
It is taking the boat out for the first spin on the lake?
Is it taking a mountain hike in the cooler altitudes?
How about enjoying your favorite flavor of popsicle with the kids?
In an episode of the award-winning series Mad Men, Peggy Olson, a young copywriter is tasked with creating a campaign for Popsicle. She remembers the ritual of her own childhood when her mother would break a twin popsicle in half, and Peggy would share it with her sister.
The fictional ad slogan Peggy wrote was…”Take It, Break It, Share it, Love It.”
A summertime ritual that she enjoyed over and over again.
We encourage you to pause, reflect, and think of your own summertime rituals.
Make them happen this summer and connect to those good feelings of the season!
Wisdom From The Woods: Summertime Edition
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