Photo by Oleksandr Pidvalnyi from Pexels

Inspired by Sheryl Crow’s song, Soak Up the Sun

How I Cherish the Sun! 

I was driving home from picking up a new pair of glasses and listening to OPB (Oregon Public Radio). The host was interviewing Sheryl Crow. They played “Soak Up The Sun,” one of her most popular songs. I couldn’t catch  all of the words, but the refrain caught my attention. Along with the sunny sky that day (it’s been raining here nearly every day for weeks), it was synchronicity!

When I got home, I looked up the lyrics. These are the words that resonated with me.

I’m gonna soak up the sun
I’m gonna tell everyone to lighten up
I’m gonna tell ’em that I’ve got no one to blame
For every time I feel lame I’m looking up
I’m gonna soak up the sun

Stages of Life Soaking Up the Sun

As a Teenager living in sunny eastern Washington, nothing much was said about avoiding too much time in the sun. at the town swimming pool or the nearby park, relishing the sun’s warmth. For me, it was a friendly hug that warmed my body and my heart.

As a Young Adult lying on the dock at my parents’ summer place on Newman Lake, I felt the warm boards on my back and the warm sun shining down on me. With my eyes closed, I experienced the brightness of the sun. Have you ever noticed how the light of the sun gets brighter when you acknowledge and thank it? I had not yet realized that everything in creation responds to our consciousness because it has its own consciousness.

In the Pacific Northwest, I have come to cherish the rain and remind myself that I live in a green wonderland because of the rain and I check the weather app on my phone to see when the sun will be out.

It might only show up for a short time in winter and spring. I plan my day around those windows of opportunity. I sit on the new stone wall at the edges of my yard, face the sun, and soak up its friendly rays. Again, I thank the sun. It responds by shining brighter.

Today, my cat Checkers and I soak up the sun together.

Checkers in his sun hat 

Checkers loves his time in the sun where he sits or rolls around in the dirt. These days he’s very tentative about coming into the yard because he almost died from injuries caused by what I think was an unscheduled meeting with a coyote. I leave my front door ajar so he can streak to safety if he gets spooked by something. I keep an eye on him to make sure he stays in the yard, and he keeps an eye on me to be sure I’m still there.

Then we both relax—me in my lounge chair and Checkers exploring the yard. This state of being is a bit of heaven, appreciated even more on those days when the sun’s rays are available for Checkers and me to catch.

Lighten up with the sun
The message in Sheryl Crow’s song that speaks to me is, “I’m gonna tell everyone to lighten up.” You may be surprised to learn that when we allow the sun to help us lighten up, we receive that help on many levels.

• It can open our hearts
• The sun can give us a hug — who doesn’t need a hug?
• Being in the sun increases our vitamin D, lifting our spirits.
• As the sun grows brighter with our attention, we are communicating with consciousness

Most of all, take time to let the sun bless you! Cherish its many gifts. You will feel lighter and brighter — guaranteed!

And then, when days are dark, you can recapture the image from that sunny day in your mind’s eye. Talk to it just like you did when the sun was present. You may see it shine brighter with your attention.

Or, imagine your most beautiful experience of the sun. Live it again even as it rains or storms.

You and I are manifesters. What we see in the mind’s eye can be as powerful as what we see with our physical eyes. That picture you are looking at or an experience you are remembering can bring you warmth, hugs, and messages of comfort.

And these days, because it does matter, remember to take along a hat, a light shirt, sunscreen, and water for your time in the sun. It’s important that we check in with our bodies and know when we have had enough.

Most of all, take time to let the sun bless you! Cherish its many gifts. You will feel lighter and brighter—guaranteed!