Even the clearest water seems opaque at great depth.  Joel Agee

Summer is the time to take off from the routine of every day.  Or, at least that’s the picket fence version of life.  It’s the time of long, lazy days where the book you’ve been reading falls off your chest and doesn’t even wake you up when it hits the floor.

Little boys get their summer buzz cut.  Lightening bugs are shown no mercy as they get collected in mason jars, with holes in the lids….so, o.k., a little mercy.  We eat watermelon and spit the seeds at targets nailed to trees.  In the south, we fan….and make ice cream….a lot.

There is nothing quite like the feeling of a cool, head-to-toe shower, after a day of play in the sun, followed by meeting up with friends and family on the porch, re-dressed in fresh, crispy clothes—for the single minded ritual of rocking away the rest of the day….as the gigantic Dreamsicle ball of sun melts into the earth just one more time.  Heaven.

Kicking back also is a great time to dive in.  Sometimes that extended inner quiet unearths the storm in your heart.  Moments beneath the surface of your soul can excavate treasures buried under the stress of carpool, rfp’s, ailing parents, and making all your ends meet. 

Sound good?  Well, let me offer a treasure or two I have discovered in the process of my own nose dive into the navel—- wonderful books that could ease you into deeper waters if you would like to snorkel your way into more of you… this summer.

THE BOOK OF AWAKENING: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have    by Mark Nepo

As the title suggests, these are thoughts on being plugged in to your own life, written so that you can open to the exact day on the calendar or let it fall open to any page—-and see the miracle of how often the subject matter seems to fit something happening to you at that very moment.

THE ART of RESILIENCE:  100 Paths to Wisdom and Strength in an Uncertain World     by Carol Orsborn

Carol offers ways to feel connected to the flow of life—even when it can seem to be interrupted on a regular basis.  Again, as she outlines the 10 stages of resilience—you can take them in random order, letting your mind float—and not miss a thing. 

“This is life’s promise to you. not that you will always get what you think you want.  But that you can become great enough to embrace it all.”  Carol Orsborn

So…..this summer, take the plunge.