We have had a cooler summer this year than the past few have been. Global warming has moved the temperature up when the sun is out, but we have had more rain than recent years. It has been a rather nice relief, as too many months of high temperatures create conditions for forest fires, test the stamina of the people and the animals, and wither the plants to brown much earlier in the year than normal.

If the beaches are full you can always go kite surfing to keep cool.

It has been in the mid 30's for several days now, but yesterday we had rain again. Thunder and lightening as well. The skies were rumbling, the rain was pouring, and I was busy at the computer, hoping that the power was not going to go off!  Fortunately it didn't, and the rain ceased before dusk, so there was a bit of a sunset, and at twilight I sat on my step enjoying the cool fresh air. The nighthawks were whipping through the air catching the bugs and the buck was slowly browsing his way around the edge of the stand of trees across the road. As darkness fell a half-moon the color of an orange slice shone in the sky as the stars began to peek out from behind the slowly evaporating clouds. The orange color is caused by smoke from forest fires across the border in the U.S. We have had it several days now as the wind blows it up from the south, so the rain also helped to clear the air and the odour is not quite so strong.  It was peaceful, and a chance for me to cleanse my thoughts and reconnect with the natural world.

The past month has been a busy one, and at times rather rushed and stressful with much hard work involved. I don't always deal well with pressure anymore. Too many years of having to do-it-regardless with no opportunity to take a break and look after me, has embedded a rather persistent aversion to it, even though the circumstances have changed dramatically. Somehow, my brain still wants to go into shut-down mode. I have to keep reminding it that I can take a break whenever I please now, so it doesn't have to do that to me anymore.  I tend to take breaks quite frequently because of that - and as a result, progress rather slowly sometimes! This will produce the inevitable feeling of guilt at not working more quickly (because I am used to very short deadlines), so then I have to deal with the guilt ....... and on it goes!

It's all a matter of balance and re-programming my thoughts and the resulting feelings. Connecting to nature helps me do that. It's called ecotherapy and it works wonders. We are, as I have said before, a part of nature. We have evolved for thousands of years being in complete connection to it. Now, we are becoming very detached from it and suffering the consequences. It's the reason we all love to spend a weekend camping or at the cottage in the woods. We reconnect with the natural world and it helps us balance the frenetic energy we get caught up in the rest of the week. We don't even have to be conscious of doing it - the benefits of a long walk in the forest or field had been recognized long before the word 'ecotherapy' was invented.  Keeping 'cool' is not only about body temperature, it's about state of mind as well. It's about keeping connected to what we really are.

Reconnecting at the end of the day.