How to Slow Down During July

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One.
I released a brand new poem titled What Today Will Bring. You can listen to it wherever you steam music. Click here to hear!

Two.
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If you want to slow down during July, you’ll have to take a deep breath. And then another. And then probably one more. The temptation is to be everywhere and do everything. It’s hard to slow down when you’re always everywhere, doing everything all at once. Rest is not a prize you earn after doing everything; it’s a place to begin before you step forward.

Go easy on yourself as you soak beneath the summer sun. If you want to slow down, you’ll need to leave room on the calendar. You’ll want to make time to eat watermelon over the sink and fresh corn with butter dripping down your hands. Wake up early enough to feel the cool morning before the heat settles in. Stay outside after dark just because you can. Float in the lake a little longer. Read a book without checking your phone between chapters. Choose the backyard over the to-do list. Find a way to get near the water. Watch the sunset melt into a sky full of stars. Water the garden. Water your soul, too.

Water it with beauty. Ice cream. Poetry. Scripture. Prayers. Strawberries. Joy. Speak little reminders to yourself. Words like, “I’m okay,” “Thank You, God,” “What a gift this is,” and “We should probably have pie.”

Remember: Summer isn’t asking you to hurry. It’s inviting you to notice. Go barefoot in the grass. Listen to the birds before the world gets loud. Find an excuse to make s’mores. Let the dishes wait while the sky turns pink. Sit on the porch until your soul catches up with your body.

I know, it’s hard to believe it’s already July, but it is. Time flies. Don’t forget to look up. Breathe deeply. Pay attention. August will be here before you know it.

If you want to slow down during July, you’ll have to take a deep breath. And then another. And then probably one more.

A page from my book, Getting Through What You’re Going Through

Enjoy it.

Those are two words my mind cannot let go of.

I am not charismatic, but I believe God placed them there.

Long ago He pulled back the dirt, planted the seeds, gave them what they needed to grow, and is now inviting me to rest with what has come to be.

To slow down.

To be where I am.

To give thanks.

To enjoy it.

God is good at giving us what we need, and I think these two words are what I’ve been longing to hear.

Enjoy it.

It’s not a command, but an invitation.

Almost as if to say life is better this way.

But it’s hard.

This morning I woke up feeling panicked.

It was like my heart and mind were playing tug-of-war and the victor was set to receive the winning prize of anxiety.

Maybe it was because I broke my rule and scrolled through social media before falling asleep last night.

Maybe it’s because I haven’t been able to write anything good for the last month or so.

Maybe it’s because my hair is falling out and I’m not ready to no longer be young.

Maybe it’s because I’ve gotten good at what I wish I was bad at: comparison.

When I start to spiral down the path of comparison, I forget all this is a gift.

I forget I am not what I do.

I forget life is not a race.

I forget goodness and mercy.

I forget comparison is a trick.

I forget I can love this life and all that comes with it.

I forget I can accept God’s kind invitation and enjoy it.

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GTWYGT 🍊

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