“All we have is now” sums up how I think summer feels about us. Summer officially ends September 22. Yet, I feel no need to rush the transition this year into the new season.
I returned the favor and wrote a piece about what I think about summer for local Boston organic beauty company, Poéthique, based in Wellesley, MA with my Top 5 Must-Do’s for Summer – it probably isn’t about what you think at first, so check it out and keep that summer mindset going for as long as you can. How are you feeling this season – are you ready for change all at once, or in stages? *By the way, I’ve been trying and loving Poéthique’s Facial Recovery Elixir and Radiance Boosting Serum. Using them is a treat!
in Mile End – Montréal, Québec, Canada
I strode up to a street corner in Mile End, Montréal to these colorful words sparkling on the cement after what felt like several miles of walking in a legendary heat wave. Why were we walking to every stationary store until I couldn’t walk? I was in search of the perfect French note cards at stationary stores all across Montréal. I studied French from 2nd grade to the end of University, and I miss the language surrounding me, to be honest. Sometimes I dream in French, and I’ve been sharing this love of the French language with B, who made me undeniably proud by going through ordering a drink at a drive through entirely in French by the end of our recent trip. He never studied it in school. Immersion works.
My feet hurt so much I couldn’t imagine walking further. So, I stopped, looked down, snapped the photo, and have been musing on it ever since.
If all I have is now, how do I want to spend my NOW?
Things don’t bother me as much in the summer. Things taking longer, eating dinner late, even daily failures. The next day usually turns out better. Thanks, summer! I’ve also been noticing those moments when I let myself LAUGH and DANCE and I recognize myself in a variety of happy that often gets buried beneath incredible task lists. Summer believes that all we have is now, and the best way to be in the now is to smile, be fluid, and smile even when it is hard if it can make someone else’s day.
This phrase, all we have is now, initially struck me as a phrase for activism, given the social climate of today – to charge people to action and to stand up for what we believe in. But, really, what is resonating with me today is on a more personal scale. “All we have is now” means to not wait for that next step we think is right, but to be willing to make changes to be in the present, find opportunities to share life with others, and to be grateful.
The time is now. The time to be happy is now. I couldn’t help but remember a line from a song from the musical, Annie that I auditioned with once. I used to be in theatre when I was a kid – my mom put me in summer theatre to help me get out of my shy shell – “you’re never fully dressed without a smile.” I’ve never forgotten that line.
Did you know Sia remade “You’re never fully dressed without a smile” with new lyrics? She seems to agree with the sentiment that all we have is now. I’ll leave you with that. A smile is your best accessory. Anything else you wear doesn’t matter as much as that glow that comes from within, with being truly, genuinely, you and as happy as you can be, because, all you have is now.
Enjoy the now, friends!
