May 30, 2023
Yesterday, we Americans celebrated Memorial Day.
The day we remember & honor service men and women who served in our military during wartime and peace, especially those who paid the ultimate sacrifice in wartime.
We celebrate with friends and family at picnics, BB-Q, parades, baseball games (the Great American pastime), and placing American flags of those veterans that have passed while visiting cemeteries.
And most like celebrating a long weekend with an extra day off from work!
It is also the “Unofficial Start of the Summer!”
Up here in the northeast, by Memorial Day, most of the pollen, oak, maple seeds, and cottonwood stops falling, and hopefully, the last frost, we will be out planting our long-awaited gardens.
The green grass, colorful scrubs, and flowers give up a sense of awakening from the long winter slumber.
So, let us welcome the warm weather and sunny days after a long winter and rainy spring (May) with some motivational Summer quotes!
These are some of the ones that resonated with me the most!
“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.”
Albert Camus
“What good is the warmth of summer without the cold of winter to give it sweetness?”
John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley: In Search of America
(So SWEET, and always worth the wait!)
“You must prune to bloom…..If the dead weight is not pruned and removed…….it compromises the quality, performance, and the output of the vine
When you prune what’s not working in your life……you make space and place for renewal to happen for the new growth to spring forward.”
Susan C. Young
(Life Lesson – Decluttering your life of what you no longer serve you, leaves room for new and exciting things).
“Deep Summer is when laziness finds respectability.”
Sam Keen
I set a goal to take the time…… to finish all my yard cleanup and to plant during this long and beautiful weekend.
What a feeling of accomplishment!
Now I can sit back in my “respectable laziness” and enjoy the fruits of my labor and my favorite time of year!
Why do I feel so happy in the SUMMER?……..
It is the link between the longer days of sunlight and our serotonin levels, the hormone that makes us feel ‘HAPPY!”
My Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) has dissipated!
And there is research that backs it up.
The following information was based on the UK News Website of the Year, “The Telegraph.”
- Sunshine can also improve our sleep.
Regular exposure to sunlight encourages the production of melatonin.
The hormone that helps regulate the body’s sleep-wake cycle is called our “circadian rhythm”…..
The body’s internal clock signals when it is time to rest and when it is time to be alert. (This is why blue light from our devices before bed disrupts sleep patterns).
2. Vitamin D from the sun will boost your bones to help prevent osteoporosis, rickets, and rheumatoid arthritis.
More than 90% of Vitamin D requirements come from casual exposure to sunlight……..aiming for 10-30 minutes of midday sunlight several times a week!
So, take a walk to get a boost of this bone-strengthening vitamin!
3. Vitamin D is also good for brain health.
It is linked to improved mental ability (memory, speed, and recollection).
As well as mood and physical activity.
4. Your eyes need sunlight.
Even more critical for children, it lowers the risk of nearsightedness (myopia), which helps the eye produce dopamine, which aids in healthy eye development.
5. It can lower blood pressure.
Causing the blood vessels to widen as the skin moves the nitric oxide (stored in the skin) into the bloodstream. Remember, our skin is the largest organ of our body!
6. It can also give our sex life a lift!
The Role of Vitamin D can boost a man’s testosterone by 69% to balance mood, sex drive, and cognitive function.
And the same situation for post-menopausal women….as a link between low levels of D and low levels of estrogen has been identified.
I do want to clarify……
I’m not recommending going without sunglasses for eye protection or without sunscreen protection from sunburn and skin cancer.
However, I suggest you go outside and enjoy the summertime heat and sunshine on your face to feel renewed, refreshed, and alive!
Until next week, shake away any summertime blues with physical activity outdoors, hiking, walking, running, and kayaking while exposing yourself to more Vitamin D……Which is essential for moods and the general health of our bodies, living with AGE-GILITY, and TRUSTING YOUR TRUTH!