Summer, with its different rhythms, and vacation, with its plans and activities, are times to seize and live. Opportunities to gain some distance from everyday life and gain a clearer perspective on ourselves, our lives, the direction and the path we are following.
Summer, as a time to plan, should not make us move from one kind of stress (that of work) to another (that of necessarily filling our time with a thousand activities); rather, it can be experienced as the opportunity offered to us this year as well to nurture relationships and devote ourselves to some volunteer workβ¦ There is no shortage of opportunities for intense experiences that help us broaden our horizons to the world, with the chance to get our hands dirty by making ourselves useful: missionary work camps, trips to learn about and meet peoples and culturesβ¦ Or βspiritual vacations,β during which we can restore our souls in places immersed in nature and prayer.
To learn more, also read: Sea or mountains? What if insteadβ¦
But summer is also a time to stop, to pause, to take oneβs life back into oneβs own hands. Time for oneself, time for others, time for friendships, time for what is essential, time for the spirit, time for God. It is a time to learn once again to enjoy the small gifts of each day, a time to pick up a good book and follow the paths that lead to the heart.
Letβs make our summer a βcreative timeβ so we can return to our daily activities richer in life, without anxiety and without chasing empty distractions, but with more joy and readiness to start again.
