On My Mind: Using the Dog Days of Summer

The Dog Days of Summer… I’ve always loved that saying.  I envision a wonderful dog all stretched out during the heat of the day… on his back with his stomach exposed, taking care of himself and trusting the world.

I was lucky enough to see that very sight a few years ago when I was in Jackson Hole.  I was walking down the street and peered into the doorway of an art gallery and lying in the doorway in that very position was a yellow lab with not a care in the world.  To go in the gallery, you literally had to step over this big dog.  And, doing that did not bother him one bit.

Welcome to the last of the Dog Days of Summer.  Named for the most sultry, slow time of the summer, supposedly it starts July 3^rd and lasts until around August 11^th.  It’s the time that begins about 20 days before and lasts until about 20 days after the conjunction of the Dog Star (Sirius) and the sun.

A slow, still period right in the middle of busy, summer fun.  It could signal a time for us to slow down, pay attention to ourselves, and maybe even do a little introspection.

Even though you might not have taken any time to slow down, stop right now and take a look at yourself right this very minute… where are you and what are you feeling?

• I don’t have time to slow down.  I’ve got too much to do.
• You want me to feel?  I spend most of my time trying not to!
• I feel a sense of panic and I can’t put my finger on what’s causing it.
• I want to make a difference in my life and in this world… and, I’m afraid I won’t or I can’t.
• There is something nagging at me, some divine discontent that I am ready to explore.
• I’m taking lessons from that dog in Jackson Hole.
• All is right with my world.

Since we all know how important taking some down time is, if we don’t and if Fido’s way of being never happens for us, we can easily slip into thinking something is wrong.  With us.  Great.  And, now… here comes that flying herd of monkeys who circle our head and sit on our shoulder pointing out exactly what’s wrong with us.

Well, whatever they say… it’s just not true.

And, this could be the point in time, the signal for us that helps us see that we need this quiet time and we make a choice to honor that.  For, the very first step of starting the journey to being at peace with ourselves is awareness – and that can only be done in quiet, down time.  We can allow ourselves to become aware of what we are doing, what we are feeling, what makes us happy what makes us sad, what we are most proud of, what we would like to do better, what we want to do more of, what and who we love, how we feel about ourselves.  The quiet time helps us become aware of all of these things and even more.

Some of the things may not be as pretty as we would like.  But, the awareness can help us see more clearly, make decisions, and possibly, make new choices.

I’ve been doing a lot of this.  It’s a process of clearing out the old and choosing and allowing the new.  And, the Dog Days of Summer are a perfect time to do it.

I challenge you to enjoy these final dog days.  Give yourself some loving and determine what needs to stay, what needs to go, what needs to change, and honor those choices.  What a gift for yourself.