June is notoriously both exciting and exhausting. The challenge? Having enough energy to survive it and soak it all in at the same time. And if I’m brutally honest with myself? May took more out of me than I realized.
And then June showed up anyway, in all its glory. It’s going to be a tough month ahead emotionally, which means it will be physically draining too. Not to mention it’s going to be draining in general because it is naturally busy, busy, busy. And since May really did a number on me, even with so many highs, I’m totally depleted.
But this June, this month, I really don’t “want to miss a thing.” (Thank you Aerosmith for that line forever living rent free in my head!) My second son is graduating high school. I want to be rested. I want to feel relaxed. I want to feel good. I want to be present. SO…this borderline burnout and mental/physical whatever-it-is I’ve been battling that has me sleeping more than usual? I’d like to get a better hold of it.
And since it’s the first of the month, it feels like the right time for…
A restart.
A reset.
A reflection.
As I look back at May and get real with myself about what went well, and what made my gray a whole heck of a lot heavier than it needed to be, a few things stand out.
Some of my hard? Well, it was just hard because it was truly hard. And I got through it.
Some of my hard? Lack of sleep didn’t help. Lack of self-nourishment didn’t help. Lack of fresh air, exercise, and social connection didn’t help.
And some of my hard? Taking on too much without asking for enough help. I am SUPER good at that. Anyone else excel at this too?
This is an upside of being a dreamer, by the way 😉 So as I sit here and wonder what word will help guide me this month, a random word came to mind. JUNIPER I smiled when I looked up the meaning and symbolism. (Because yes, I had no real clue.) Juniper is an evergreen shrub or small tree with needle-like leaves and small berry-like cones that survives and thrives in harsh, cold winters. Perfection! It gets better… Juniper often carries meanings like: Protection.
Clearing. New beginnings. Hope. And my favorite? Staying green through hard seasons. I’d say this is a pretty perfect mnemonic for JUNE, a notoriously wonderful, celebratory, emotional, and exhausting month, wouldn’t ya say?!
JUNEiper. The reminder to protect my energy.
JUNEiper. The reminder to clear out what makes the gray heavier.
JUNEiper. The reminder that I can start again at any given moment with doing what I need, for me, to feel more at ease.
JUNEiper. The reminder that even in a hard season, I can still stay green. Scratch that. I can still create and help the orange stand out.
JUNEiper. So refreshing. Makes me want to go outside in nature and just breathe in fresh air for a bit. Which is exactly what I know I need to do more often. Because I don’t want to miss June.
Happy JUNEiper my friends. Sending warmth which by the way is also what JUNEiper is known for. How about that for a random word coming to me?!
xoxo, Sheila
🧡 The Orange Rhino
