Summer Time and the Livin' is Easy - And even More.

As Canadians, at least those of us who live in Ontario, the coming of the summer months is like a new beginning. Most of us can tolerate winter, especially if we take advantage of the opportunities it offers - skiing, walking in the fresh white snow after a storm, gazing at the dancing frost in the early morning sunlight, or snuggling up to a warm fire  after a nasty storm. It is the 'in between" time of year when it is cold, wet and foggy as summer fades slowly into winter or spring struggles to shrug off the the grey bleakness around us that are the most difficult.

But now that summer is almost here there is a sense of a new beginning, nature has stirred and it's beautiful colors suddenly surround us awakening in us renewed hope,  love, and a desire to reach out and embrace that miraculous transformation. Our being in the world takes on a new meaning for we are brought to the realization that we are, or should allow ourselves to be, part of nature's transformation.

Of course this presumes that as individuals we have a certain level of maturity, an openness to experience our world as it really is, and not to settle only for the cheap happiness that can distract us and separate us from our very existence.

One of the great pleasures for me is, as you may expect, the joy of sailing. Granted, sailing a small boat on Lake Ontario is not quite the same as cruising the beautiful islands of the Aegean or Caribbean seas, but on the other hand it is what we have been blessed with. Sailing brings you close to nature, you become aware of the wind, the water, the motion of the boat, the quiet as you are pulled along over the water. It helps you appreciate the early morning calm at a quiet anchorage, or the joy of a sunset through the pine trees. Like spring itself, it draws you, implants you in nature and reminds you of who and what you are.

Of course, there are other occasions when sailing drums up the adrenalin and makes you long for a dry, warm dock in a peaceful harbour. But that too is part of our journey in life.

Thus, it becomes clear, that our being in the world is not just a physical thing, but a spiritual experience, not necessarily in the "religious" sense, but in the sense that nature itself can lift  us beyond the physical world, to a level of wonder and awe that makes everyday life meaningful and joyous.

Have a great summer and stop to "smell the roses" and to momentarily just let yourself be, and enjoy.

And that's Dick's View of the World this Week.