August

​“August.”  What is it about these particular 31 days?  For many of us, August conjures up memories of the last month of summer: hot days by a pool, camping trips, back-to-school shopping or those final days before we left home for college.  These 31 days were named after the first Roman emperor in 8 BCE in honor of several of his great conquests.  The word “august” – when used as an adjective – means “majestic, venerable, or inspiring admiration.”  There’s a little restaurant that I love in NYC called “August” and they cook with farm-to-table ingredients – certainly a way to inspire the admiration of our local farms and countryside!
 
If you’re anything like me, turning the calendar to August leaves us wondering, “Where did the summer go?” before it’s even over.  So instead of preemptively lamenting the passing of another summer, what better way to honor the spirit of August than by focusing on ways that we can inspire admiration and majesty in ourselves?  So for this August, I am challenging myself – alongside hikes with the dog, lazy summer evenings and a trip to the ocean (finally!) – to 31 days where I do something that makes me feel better about who I am.  31 Days of Admiration. 
 
Whether it’s a small thing that I would normally do anyway (taking the dog for a hike) or a larger task that I’ve been putting off (annual physical), the idea is to do one thing each day for the next 31 days that will hopefully make me feel better about myself or lead me to make decisions or changes that truly show admiration for myself.  Take a look at my 31 Days of Admiration Inspiration and let me know what yours are!  If you miss a day or are just seeing this post, any amount of admiration is good!
 
Here’s to inspiring admiration!

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