Hello Summer! We Welcome You!

Author: Beth Sylver

I recently took a five-day virtual conference about Equine-Assisted Therapy. Many different presenters, workshops, and training videos wholly opened my eyes to a new way of looking at life. There were three major takeaways from the conference I’d like to share!

The first thing from the conference that struck me as critical to fully living is never stop moving. We’ve all gotten stagnant lately, and sometimes we need encouragement to get ourselves up and active. It’s proven that it is through movement that our bodies and minds continue to grow. When we rest, we rust!

Now that Summer is upon us, it’s time to welcome family, friends and visitors from around the world to come and see this lovely place we call home. I invite you to open up these people to new experiences and take them to places where there is something to learn about our extraordinary area.

Take them on a coconut or coffee tour. Take them to a wildlife sanctuary, go for a riverboat ride, or take a kayak tour through the mangroves. Explore a waterfall, a nature reserve, or take a horse ride on the beach! There’s so much to learn from the lovely local people, and we all know how happy they are to share what they know with us. There’s something to be said for furthering our education and expanding our minds to new things! 

I was also super excited to be reminded of the importance of being playful, which I think we all forget as we mature. I was so grateful to be taught how vital it is to connect with our inner child! Let’s see if we can get away from being so serious. 

Seek and create fun, have a dance party, even by yourself! I often find a space on a wall in my house where I can see my shadow. Next, I put on some super danceable music and do what I call “Shadow Dancing”! Get a hula hoop, play ball with your dogs, rediscover what it feels like to be lighthearted. 

Then, share these ideas to create an elevated level of fun with all those around you. Remember the beauty of real laughter and how contagious it is! Pura vida!