Summer time …

and the living is easy… as the song goes.  I am having a great 60th summer.  I have spent most of it with family or old friends and that has been a gift.  It is easy to be with people you know and who know you.  I have spent a lot of time over the past years working with people I may never see again.  The short encounters in training sessions, the years as a teacher… people come and go.  I do feel fortunate that in my life there have always been the connectors.  These are the people who knew you from the beginning or since junior high or since your first marriage.  They have watched your career and your relationships and know who you are at the core of it.  They share your values and your history and that is so important … to have someone in your life who does.

Know yourself, Know others and Know your stuff … that used to be Carol’s and my mantra when we were teaching leadership.  Knowing yourself through others is an important part of that.  I have been reminded this summer of the pieces of me that have not changed, that have continued  … the good pieces of character that I hardly notice … as people tell stories from the past and create memories for the future with me I am struck by what they remember and how they remember it. I believe it has helped me understand again who I really am.

I also have been very conscious of what my view of others is and how it can be influenced by the opinion of others.  Maybe by no accident I was reading Jane Austin this summer.  “Persuasion” is a book about that … about how what you learn from others influences your opinions and your actions toward a person.  It’s a great read if you are in the mood for self-reflection.

It has been a summer of observation and reflection, a time for change and new beginnings.  Warm summer breezes, beaches on both coasts, my wonderful Rockies and people I love and that love me … what more could a girl as for….

How has your summer been? I hope that you have connectors in your life and that you get to see them as often as possible to keep you grounded and reassured. Nothing does that for you  like spending time with people who share your values and your history. Love and laughter, the perfect recipe for living easy.