Spice Up Your Summer

“The secret of happiness is variety, but the secret of variety, like the secret of all spices, is knowing when to use it.” ~ Daniel Gilbert

“Nothing is more memorable than a smell. One scent can be unexpected, momentary and fleeting, yet conjure up a childhood summer beside a lake in the mountains.” ~ Diane Ackerman

Here we are in the middle of summer and it’s hot! The kind of sticky hot that drains your energy and the only antidote is a cool shady spot with a tall glass of iced tea and mint. Somehow everything else seems like too much work.

I originally wanted to title this article How to Heat Up Your Summer but I thought you’d pass, saying, “No thanks, don’t need any more of that!”

However spice was a better word because I’m talking about inner heat not outer heat. Heat is a transformational element. It changes things from one state to another. The process isn’t always good feeling but the results are spectacular!

So are you willing to spice up your summer? Are you ready to add some heat into your life to get a different outcome?

Your World

Add some spice to your life this summer to heat things up. I know it’s hot, but use that as a touchstone. Every time you realize you’re hot, pause a minute and ask yourself, “What about this situation/my life can I look at differently right now?

Use the external heat to trigger your conscious mind to remember to have a new perspective, see someone else’s side, or just react differently to see what new outcomes you can produce.

For example, if you have a child that you are in a power struggle with and they say something that triggers annoyance or anger in you, pause a moment and instead reply, “That’s interesting. Tell me more about that.”

Your Senses

Tap into the power of your senses to spice up your summer.

Eat something new. Try a dish a bit hotter than normal. Eat with your nose pinched shut so your taste buds need to inform you of the flavors you are experiencing. Did you know that according to a University of Nebraska study about 75% of what you perceive as taste is really smell? See if shutting off your smell sharpens your taste.

Change your location. Typically dinner tables end up with “assigned” seats, so switch it around. Sit in a different seat and see if that opens up a different view, both literally and figuratively. You not only see what the other person sees you have a chance to see things from their eyes too.

Your Choices

They don’t call it the summer doldrums for no reason. Make choices this summer that are fun and stimulating. Don’t forget the power of heat to transform.

Watch sensory stimulating movies. Here are two of my all time favorite delicious movies. Both of these are a feast of food & love!

Chocolat is a story of a woman and her daughter who come to a very rigid French town and shake things up with their chocolate creations. Vianne, played by Juliet Binoche, creates magical transformations in the lives of the townspeople with her combination of flavors, spices and chocolates. And of course Johnny Depp’s character gets a nod for portraying the transformational power of love.

The Mistress of Spices tells the story of an Indian woman who is trained in the art of spices. She serves her clients by providing them with the correct blend of spices to accomplish what they desire. She is sent to San Francisco to open a spice shop and fulfill her calling. This movie is a visual delight.

If you haven’t seen either of these check them out. If you have other movies that satisfy the senses, please let me know so I can see them.

This month do things that are visually stimulating, sensory stimulating, and get your juices flowing.

There are some fantastic art galleries and museums in this town and within a short drive. Get inspired, get creative, and get enthused by a piece of art.

Get moving and get motivated. Go listen to the roar of the ocean and let its vastness open up something in your life. Hike the cool forest paths that abound in our state and connect with the power and promise of nature. Bike the greenway, grow vegetables, or show up at the Saturday Farmer’s Market. Get out there and grab the amazing things that are waiting for you.

Get in your car, crank up the a/c and go discover an exciting adventure.

Grab a cold glass of iced tea and connect with the natural beauty surrounding you.

But most of all please do something different, something stimulating, and something inspiring. Allow the heat of summer act as an agent of change in your life.

And please don’t forget to let me know how it goes. You can email me at donna@donnaburick.com, call me at 336-540-0088, or leave a comment below.

Happy Summer!