Soaking in the sun here in Wailea Beach, Maui as part of My Year by the Water.
Glorying in the whales playing, spouting and breaching off shore.
Reveling in the soft air, gentle trades, stately royal palms and melodic Hawaiian music in the background.
Gazing out at the deep blue ocean, with Molokini and Turtle Town in the distance.
Weaving infinity loops with my arms while treading water in the infinity pool.
Immersed in this sweet much-welcomed state of writing reverie.
Energized by the centuries-old power and mass of Haleakala behind me, secure in knowing it has my back.
Aaaahhhh-ll is right with the world.
I keep breathing deep, heartfelt sighs of contentment. They just well up in me because I am so wonderfully happy here.
Then I saw this insightful article in this morning's The Wall Street Journal about "The Science Behind the Sigh."
Journalist Kat Long reports that sighing isn't just "an emotional outlet. It's a vital biological process necessary for maintaining overall health."
Amen to that.
I'm no expert, however I've also come to understand that sighing is also a way of consciously, mindfully breathing in an experience so we more deeply appreciate it and imprint it. Sighing is a sign of SerenDestiny. It's a sign that, for that moment, all is right with our world.
Do you have a time or place in your life where everything feels so right, you can't help yourself, you just find yourself breathing it all in?
Is it a park near your home? A nearby beach, forest, hiking trail, lake path?
Where is a place the tension drains out of you? Where do your neck and shoulders relax? Where do you feel deeply centered? Where do you feel aahhh-ll's right with your world?
Do you have a room at home where the sun comes in? Can you sit there, even for a few minutes, and bask in its warmth as it blesses your face, fills your soul?
One of the most important things I've learned about SerenDestiny - and how to keep the lights on in our eyes - is the importance of taking time every day to IMPRINT.
Instead of rushing through the day, getting from Point A to Point B, I make it a point to take a couple moments to look around and drink it in. Especially if I'm in nature and when the sun rises, sets or breaks through the clouds.
Queen Elizabeth said, "Good memories are our second chance of happiness."
I've found that taking a few moments to bask in the sun, revel in the moment, breathe in my surroundings and sigh with the rightness of it all ... IMPRINTS that experience so I can revisit those moments of happiness anytime I want.
It's a way to counter-act stress, a rush-rush mentality, or in the-moment frustration. It's a way to, every day, remind myself what a blessing it is to be alive.
So, where do you go to sigh? Where do you go to bask in the sun and feel warmed by its blessing? What do you do to pause, imprint, and breathe in all that's right with your world?