Beat the Heat & Celebrate with a Spicy Treat
Savouring the Flavours of Life & Summer
Hola it’s Friday Happy Hour and I am bringing you a quick and easy recipe to beat the heat and savour the flavour of life lived with enjoyment.
That and some art, poems and a story! Because it’s time for the hour of…
H eart Inspired
A rt
P oetry
P hotography &
Y umminess
Just moments ago, I was dipping into a pristine wild river minutes from my home. We are in another heat wave, and I sure needed to cool off. I took a drink on the rocks to the rocks at the riverside. As I dove, floated, and swam in a deep spot at a fave place, complete with my bright yellow crocs (protecting those tender tootsies), I was certainly bottoms up as I moved against the swirling waves of the current. Twirling my body and finding my float with the motion of water’s devotion to stay moving.
The joy of fresh awe
Greets us through our awareness
Surrender your thoughts.
After each swim I stood or sat on the shoreline noticing the mix of hot and cold meeting on my soaked self standing in the breeze. I lingered in the liquid golden turquoise long enough to get shivers when I emerged. Perfect. Shaded by tall trees and puffy clouds with a smile finding my face. Don’t you just love summer? Even when the temps are challenging as they creep higher and higher it is the right kind of imperfectly perfect to go through this process of cooling down and then warming back up - ultimately cooling the core down to avoid heat stroke. It makes me feel alive and brings feelings of respect for all nature offers to us.
When a the days are hot and long the lakes, rivers, creeks and oceans call out to be enjoyed. Get out there and get wet. Then cycle and repeat! Afterall these are the days to remember when summer is a distant memory this fall and winter (espcially here up north). So I stay with the mix of it all and remix my experience by choosing self love, care and recognition knowing if I brave the brisk depths I will be rewarded for my courage. Water is a happy place for me and that is perfection.
Nature is Perfection
P ositively
E nchanted
R esponse
F elt by
E veryone
C ollectively
T raversing
I ntentional
O fferings from
N ature
The gifts of water are sacred and range from the necessary to pure pleasure. I’ve been mindful of staying hydrated internally and of my own deep personal need to be in the water. Many times, I have had the thought… if only I could wear water. So, I swim and soak as often as possible. I thank the waters and express my appreciation for its beauty, magic, and life-giving nature. I share my gratitude and my love with devotion for how it snakes its way through this mountain valley bringing so much abundance. I linger at its edges, embrace its magnetic power (we are largely made of water, and I feel at home in/on and by water). To be in a place of thriving wellness requires clean water (2-4 litres a day) and when I sip our local water, I also thank it for being there for me and myself for making the effort to drink up (it is delicious right from the tap).
It is not lost on me the benefit of having water run from a tap. After an almost 2-week adventure in the back country the importance of good water resources is something, I am even more grateful for when I return home. Travelling through indigenous title land brought the feeling of gratitude closer to my heart as the area signage reminded all travelers that these lands, waters, and forests are gifts from the Creator. I sincerely appreciate the call to notice and be thankful.
Even yummy water is still plain water and can become less than easy to drink the recommended amount so I have been playing with recipes to convince my palette to drink up! Hence this summer series of happy hour that has been a lot of flavoured water recipes. I hope you continue to play with the remixing and start to concoct your own mixes as go-to options and special treats :)
All that water talk makes me thirsty! Here’s this weeks recipe:
Summer Easy Shandy (alcohol free)
A glass with ice
Ginger Beer (or Ale)
Fruit Flavoured Sparkling Water (I used hibiscus)
Mix equal parts of each beverage over ice.
Garnish with a lemon wheel.
Toast to Life & Bottoms up!
For remixes I’m going to leave this one up in the air and if you have an idea please share. A light suggestion is if you don’t love sparkling drinks you can make ginger hibiscus tea and cool with ice. You may wish to sweeten.
Ginger is a health tonic and anti-inflammatory, among other things. It is good for the brain, memory, anxiety and depression. Perfect for summer heat~
Hibiscus is rich in powerful antioxidants and ripe with benefits. It blends well with ginger. The pretty color is an added bonus! Enjoy~
Happy Summer!
xoNichola
Protect our waters and water loving friends and creatures by supporting sustainable stewardship by being the change through conscious caretaking of this awe-inspiring planet.
*All writting, audio, art, and photos created by Nichola @ Mystic Peaks Studio
Lemon sun art: Lemon Sun Free Stock Photo - Public Domain Pictures
