Even though it's officially fall...

I seem to still have summer on the mind, as you can see in the photo to the left. It was taken on Jackson Lake in Wyoming, where we took an extended family vacation. One day my husband, son and I went out on the Lake and paddled past the awe inspiring Grand Teton mountains. (And between you and me, everyone looked at me like I had three heads when I said this, but I heard the mountains speaking to me, in some sort of deep voice. They have an incredible spiritual presence.) 

So easy to get weighed down by our to do lists...

But I'm back home now and it's so easy to get caught up in the "things to do" each day, especially at this time of year. It's the time of easing into the transition from long summer days to shorter, cooler fall days, with all the responsibilities of work, school and our social calendars. What can drop through the cracks are intangibles such as a meaningful interaction with a co-worker or child, a tiny goal achieved, such as making a slight shift in a relationship, or a moment of seeing the sun glimpsed through the leaves of a tree still full with summer leaves. 

What can help to sustain us through the busy months ahead?

One thing I am doing to hold onto the intangibles, such as that moment in the canoe on Jackson Lake, is mentally creating a three-dimensional image of the moments from summer that fulfilled me. I am already referring back to that memory, keeping it alive in my mind so that I will have it when I need it. 

Another technique that I have been using for a few years now is to "track" those elusive daily moments, in a calendar that I create at the beginning of each year. At the beginning of the year, I choose a word that will be important to me during the year, usually something I want to bring more of into my life. A few years ago it was synthesis, last year it was joy and this year it is clarity. I create my own layout for each month, using shapes that mean more to me than the square box of a traditional calendar....

Fun with books

Then I "track" that quality throughout the month by marking in some way in the calendar book, on the dates where I felt particularly moved by that quality. I've used: push-out windows, tabs, stickers, colored dots, all sorts of techniques. I've since added the tracking of a few areas of my life where I want to have balance, noting them on the days when I am engaged in them. This way I have both a visual reminder of meaningful moments and of the balance of the different areas of my life. Below is an example of a calendar page from a couple years ago. I was using pull-out tabs at the side to track various qualities and activities. 

I'd love to hear what you do as a way of reminding yourself of what really matters. To respond, please post below. Thanks. Happy Fall. 

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