I heard myself say recently, that July is my favorite month of the year.  It is true.  It is the height of summer and I love the warmth and carefree-ness of summer.  The long days keep me going with many activities that feed me, like gardening, hiking, biking and swimming.  And now it is August 3rd.  Do you know that the sun on August 3rd is at the same place as it is on May 9th?  Each day we lose a bit more of light.  It’s a good time of year for me to stay present and notice when I am pulled to that melancholic place in me that has a hard time letting go of the summer season and all of the “light” that goes along with it.  When I practice coming back to what is; breath and my sense perceptions, I am more present to the moment.  I hear the morning bird’s song or squawk, I see the pink in the sky of the rising sun, I feel my body and the pulsing of my breath and I appreciate the present moment.   When I focus on loss and fear,  I miss all of that.   So, I practice coming back again and again.  I do this formally “on the cushion”, in my meditation practice as that keeps it alive in me, so I can better access the practice throughout my day.