Those lazy, hazy days of summer

Today marks the end of my summer of 2024. Not because it's any special day in the calendar but simply because I have marked it so. (These days, I mostly do as I please!) 

Today I do nothing but simply look back....

I am not a fan of summers normally - especially given that I have been based in a sandpit for the last 20 odd years. Like most of us expats who live here in the Middle East, I have always found summers a good time to escape - either travel back to India or to visit other countries that have, or used to have, cooler temperatures. 

This year, I stayed put, mostly :) And it was different. 

Yes, it was very hot and one had to stay indoors almost all the time but there was a sense of quiet and peace in and around Dubai that I quite enjoyed. Over the last 2 months, almost every expat had left the country, there were less cars, less traffic, less noise, empty malls and restaurants and generally a sense of slowing down every where. Even less socializing! So one ended up spending time with one's own self. And of that, I am a big fan!


In a world that has been taught to run faster and faster to get things done, to achieve results, to attain goals, this kind of summer is a good reminder to pull it back! #learnfromluke

I am a firm believer that everything we go through, in Life, teaches us something - a lesson we have not yet learnt or perhaps, something new that we will need going forward. As long as we remain open to learning ..

So my lazy, hazy summer taught me as well - I learnt to appreciate things I earlier took for granted, but shouldn't have, I learnt about the fine balance between setting boundaries and adjusting yourself and finally, I learnt about resetting personal goals when needed. And today, I am deeply grateful for these learnings. 

Now I wonder how it took me so long to get there, but then I remember the saying ....


“When the student is ready the teacher will appear. 

When the student is truly ready... The teacher will disappear.”

― Tao Te Ching


I guess I needed my journey so far to be ready for these learnings.  I am sure I would have ignored them, had they come earlier - thinking they were not for me. There are many things in Life, you know you could do better / different, but the resolve to do it will only come when you understand the context and learn to appreciate the outcomes. The timing has to be right, or else it is a wasted exercise!

And that's the beauty of stillness, of slowing down, of taking time for yourself - you make space for you - and you learn, you grow, you understand, you process and most importantly you understand yourself better and it brings you peace. 

So I continue my journey into the cooler months, I will start traveling again and I will soon turn another year older. Firm in the conviction that today, I am where I am supposed to be now and that going forward, the universe will always guide me to where I need to be and to whom I need to be. 


Think about it : what has your summer experience been this year? Did it leave behind any lessons? 


Love and light, always

Peace out <3

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