This morning it was the coolest in a very long time. This summer here at over 5000 feet next door to the Rocky Mountains has been the hottest in my memory. It felt good to get on my bike and not get overheated. Summer warmth is very comforting to me but baking at night is not much fun. September is here however and that means Fall and cooler temperatures are not that far away.

With Fall comes motivation to focus on new learning. I have been in school or teaching for so many years that I get brain chemicals released that ups my interest in new learning. Actual no chemical release takes place just an innate desire to grow and improve myself. What I will explore and how I will grow has yet to become clear but I am confident opportunities will arise.

If I was to guess there are lesson waiting and some of these may be similar for yours:

Patience - in this super speedy world, patience is a very positive quality and one I have nurtured for many years. Yet I still see in my driving and in my social activism a need to be more patient. Seems like the whole world could use a big dose of patience, doesn't it?
Mindfulness - In my class last night I introduced the idea of becoming mindful of our thoughts and realize that all thoughts are just words we give meaning to and they should not run us but we run them. Even though I am aware my thoughts are not reality, I still get caught up in the discomfort and emotions they stir up in me at times. Mindfulness means I just watch what comes up with equanimity.
Peacefulness - One of my great passions is promoting peace, which I think begins inside of us and spreads out into our family, communities, countries and across the globe. Sometimes I need to work on being more peaceful within and be more active in spreading peace wherever I can. The current wars (actually all wars) seem so insane that I can't believe that we allow them to continue.
Hope - When President Obama came into office I felt much hope for positive change and now I see how much anger and fear is out there fighting change. I now know I need a bigger dose of hope. Hope for me comes from keeping my heart open and from focusing on what is going well. I need to appreciate more of what is.
Freedom - This is about having the time, the resources, and the opportunities to expand my expression of what is possible within me. I feel time is too busy and resources too slim to have the freedom I want. Freedom to me is starting each day with the time and means to be creative, be compassionate, be conscious enough to make a positive difference.
Optimism - Maybe optimism is closely related to hope but in a way more about the view in which I interpret the world around me. Optimism means I feel positive about myself and my interaction with others. Some days my optimism is like a beacon that fills the room and other days it is a whisper pushing me step by step forward.
Effectiveness - I want to do what I do even better. I want to be a better therapist, a better supervisor, a better teacher, a better partner, a better social activist and a more awake and aware human being. Effectiveness mean that who I am leaves the world a better place in ways that brings more light and happiness into the world.
Compassion - The human heart’s capacity to love is infinite and too often very under realized. I find there are moments when my heart is open and I love everyone and everything and that feels so alive. Other times I know my heart is cautious and protected and that is mostly old stuff in me that needs to be kindly eliminated. Compassion is the answer to most of the world’s problems
Consciousness - This is the best secret ingredient for a better world. Consciousness is humanity awakening fully to its potential to love, to create, to understand, and to expand into an even greater expression. If all of us just woke up just 1% more each week then in 100 weeks the whole planet would be awakened. That is my hope. Would you join me?