Summer of Love--14 Ways To Grow The Soul This Summer

By Debbie Lavdas

June 19, 2008 12 AM PT

We all love summer for so many different reasons—the warm temperatures, the lazy summer afternoons, the lush, blooming landscape and that airy optimism that surrounds. And with summer comes that that quintessential question that seems to go hand in hand with this season of seizing the moment: “So, what are your plans this summer?” So I ask you, “What are your plans this summer?” A big vacation? A home improvement project? A 5K you’re going to run? Hey, those are all great, but what about all the other 100 plus days ripe for the summer taking?

Why not make this a summer you’ll really love and make it a time to love yourself a little bit more? Make a pledge to go somewhere new and inspiring. And make a promise to celebrate your inner kid at heart during this full-blown sensory celebration of summer. Because before you know it, it’s going to be over, and everybody’s going to be saying, “I can’t believe summer’s gone,” and we’ll all ponder of all perfect plans we wished we’d pursued.

So now’s the time, get out there, laugh, reflect, live a little and come back with stories from the Summer of ’08 that you’ll tell next year, stories you’ll tell ten years from now, stories you’ll tell your grandkids.

To get you started, I’ve sowed the seeds with 14 different ways to grow the soul in and around Laguna. Now get out there, and go soak up the air of love and happiness.

1. Gather the gang. Boost everyone’s spirits with a Saturday night “Summer Solstice” soiree to kick off the season June 21st. Invite best friends and serve summer delights like bug juice, citrus salad and pineapple veggie kabobs. Then light the night’s sky with tea lights dropped into coconuts and watermelons, and spread a gentle wave of candlelight on Candle Night—a worldwide pledge to save energy and promote peace. A mellow, magical night of lasting memories.

2. Beach it.Who needs Snow Angels? Make Beach Angels in the sand one lazy summery day. Then stick around till evening and have a smores extravaganza with the charm of the ocean breeze and a fire pit’s warmth. Life’s simple pleasures.

3. Zen out. Enjoy nature’s beauty in the peaceful Meditation Gardensof Encinitas, a hidden garden gem located on the cliffs overlooking the ocean. Soak up the positive energy and you may come back with more insights than you do photos.

4. Horse around. Saddle up and take an unforgettable summer sunset stroll around the Hollywood sign with the kind folks at Sunset Ranch. You’ll never forget it.

5. Decorate your scared space. Visit the Summer Sawdust Festival and bring home something special that brings creativity to your world.

6. Get back to nature. Buy yourself a gardenia and show this glossy green enough love to see it actually bloom June, July and August.

7. Return to classics. Get the neighbors together for a friendly game of badminton or croquet. It exercises the soul of memories and summers past.

8. Bang a Drum. Celebrate July’s full moon on Friday, July 18th at Pure Light with a Drum Circle. Bring the kids out to make some noise, eat some pizza and make wax wonders with moons and stars.

9. Walk the dog.Without your iPod that is. Just you, nature and passers by. You’ll be surprised at how many more friends you’ll make in your day.

10. Laugh out loud. Attend a Laughter Yoga Class this summer on the beach. Hey, it’s said to decrease stress hormones, improve the immune system and boost endorphins. Founder Dr. Madan Katariasays, “People who laugh are, like the Dalai Lama, living in the moment.”

11. Let music move you. Take in a concert with the Pacific Symphony Orchestra at Irvine Meadows, as they play tribute to ABBA, American Pie, the Wizard of Oz, Beethoven’s Fifth and more.

12. Go raw. Be good to your body and try a two-week cleanse with the organic eats of a living cuisine, raw food diet. 118 degrees at the Camp can show you how.

13. Be in awe. Be humbled and amazed by a swim with the dolphins. Sea World has a Trainer For a Day program that puts you in a wet suit with different, magnificent marine life. Or get up close with monkeys, tigers and lions at the learning center at Amazing Animal Productions. Unforgettable time well spent.

14. Give back. Sometimes you get more by giving back. Volunteer with the Laguna Canyon Foundation to keep our world wild or spend time with the Friends of the Sea Lion Marine Mammal Center, saving our sick and injured ocean friends. Or reach out to the CSP Laguna Beach Youth Shelter helping our teens. And there’s also the new Lhyric Foundation, helping artists take back their lives before addiction takes over. Help others and grow your soul.

Have a great, inspired summer!

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Event links for article:

“Summer of Love”—14 Ways to Grow the Soul this Summer”:

•Candle Night link:

https://www.candle-night.org/english/2007winter/0900_links/how_to_join_candlenight_ura.pdf

•Meditation Garden link:

https://radified.com/encinitas/gardens/index.htm

•Sunset ranch

https://www.sunsetranchhollywood.com/

•Summer Sawdust Festival

https://www.sawdustartfestival.org/summer_show/summershow.htm