Hello Friends,

As May draws to a close, many of us feel the rhythm of life shifting around us.

For some families, this means the school year is winding down, and spring is slowly giving way as the tell-tale signs of summer begin to appear everywhere.

In more temperate areas, this means the days are growing longer and warmer, flowers are blooming, sandals are reappearing by the front door, and the evenings seem to stretch on forever.

For those in the Southern Hemisphere, the opposite is unfolding. Autumn is deepening into winter, and each day grows a bit shorter and cooler until the night of the solstice.

Nature reminds us that its rhythms are always evolving. Seasons shift. The light changes. Animals migrate, rest, bloom, gather, and begin again.

We do the same. Activities change. Family routines adjust.

Even though the seasons look different depending on where we live, this time of year usually brings several subtle changes to our daily and weekly rhythms.

Allowing our daily rhythms to shift along with them helps the changes feel comforting and exciting.

When we resist, we tend to feel stuck or overwhelmed.

Although the seasonal changes we experience within our separate communities are similar, each of us responds to them differently.

These seasonal transitions can feel warm and welcoming to some, but to others, their lives might feel like they're spinning out of control.

Children especially tend to notice changing rhythms, even when they cannot fully explain them.

To them, transitions like these can feel exciting and refreshing, challenging and scary, or all of these emotions at once.

I recommend adjusting your routines to align with seasonal shifts you experience throughout the year to help smooth the transition and make the changes feel less jarring and unsettling.

When we shift our family rhythms in response to subtle changes in the natural world, life flows more easily.

Shifting your household rhythms in response to these changes makes a big difference during times of transition.

That way, you won't forget to prepare for things like Father's Day, which falls on the summer solstice this year.

Refusing to change our daily routines can feel overwhelming and chaotic.
Flow with the tides of change by adjusting your daily and weekly rhythms to accommodate the needs of the season.

You will notice that some rhythms need to shift, while others will change completely.

In my family, this means our homeschool rhythms are coming to a close, and our summer adventures are beginning. So I'm making subtle adjustments to our daily rhythm to accommodate those changes. You can do the same.

Whether you are welcoming summer or winter, you can prepare for holidays, vacations, and the activities you typically enjoy at this time of year, as well as a few new seasonal adventures to make it easier to flow within change.

For example, in the winter, I typically go for my daily walk in the afternoon because I prefer to exercise outside during the warmest part of the day, so I don't need to bundle up as much.

However, going for a walk in the late afternoon is the last thing I want to do in the summertime, because it gets really hot where I live!

At that time of day in the summer, my family would rather be swimming, doing something restful or creative at home, such as arts and crafts or reading, enjoying a shady adventure somewhere, visiting the skate rink, or bowling to enjoy our summer memberships.

So I shift the activities we typically do to reflect those changes.

For us, this does not mean that I change everything abruptly; I slowly shift our daily rhythm as we move through the seasons, and continue to flow along with the changes as they come.

There is never a beginning or an end, just a subtle shifting that occurs throughout the rhythm of the year in response to the changes happening all around us, both in the natural world and in our day-to-day lives, in every moment of each new day.

This means my daily rhythm shifts slowly throughout the year. Like the seasons themselves, it is in continuous motion, and I do my best to flow along with these cyclical changes so I don't get stuck, lost, or overwhelmed.

This means I go for my walk at midday in the spring, early in the morning during the summer to avoid the heat, and back to mid to late afternoon in the autumn and winter as the weather grows crisper each morning. It falls (pun not intended) into a perfect annual seasonal pattern.

Following this rhythmical pattern helps me walk at the most comfortable time of day by slowly shifting when I leave, with the seasons, and moving in rhythm with the sun.

However, my walking rhythm would change entirely if I moved somewhere with a different weather pattern. Because it's best to align with the changes that happen in life and flow through them rather than fight them.

Whether you are welcoming summer sunshine or preparing for winter’s quieter pace, gently shift your daily rhythm in response to those changes as best you can.

Create a comfortable rhythm that helps your family play and stay on track, so you can make sure the things that need to be completed get done on time. Like that homemade Father's Day gift for Dad you wanted to make.

I hope this season brings your family moments of connection, creativity, rest, wonder, and that you get to do some of the things that bring you the most joy and create the most peace in your heart.

Wishing you a season of balance in the changing rhythms ahead.

Blessings,