2 troubles of summer

In the summer, we're supposed to be expansive.

Stretch our wings, reach the edges of our potential, perhaps even push boundaries.

Nature assists us in this expansion as we absorb her warmth.

But two environmental factors tend to inhibit us this time of year. One natural, one not.

The first is dampness (humidity). Dampness makes the muscles heavy. It's hard to expand when you don't feel like lifting your arms.

The second inhibiting factor is air conditioning. Cold contracts.

Here's a natural remedy for a natural problem - Add in a little bit of bitter and acrid foods:

asparagus, broccoli, kale, kohlrabi, radishes, scallions, turnips, watercress, lemon peel, orange peel, basil, cardamom, marjoram, oregano, parsley, sage, thyme, turmeric

The bitter flavor drains dampness and acrid disperses it.

For an unnatural problem, reduce or eliminate:

Keep the home temp. between 75-78 degrees F, cover up in cold commercial environments, and get outdoors regularly (with appropriate use of shade and except when it's unbearably hot).

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PS I’ve decided to move Bite-Size over to the Substack platform to eliminate a technical glitch that has been costing me some life-hours. The change will happen this Friday.

You don’t need to do anything. You will receive emails as usual and can view online as you please. You don't need to set up a Substack profile or download the app.

As usual, if you can’t find the Bite-Size emails, check your Spam folder or Promotions tab, and move the emails to your primary inbox.

Oomph and yoyuu

I grew up on the advice of Ferris Bueller: "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

The Japanese have a concept called yoyuu (pronounced yo-you). It indicates "room to spare".

Yoyuu is having extra time in the schedule - room for calm, care, and enjoyment. It's having extra resources (such as financial) or extra mental-emotional capacity to handle life's ups and downs in an effective and calm way.

Part of finding our energy / vitality / passion / inspiration / sense of beauty and wonder / mental clarity / compassion / hopefulness... (let's collectively call these our "oomph" for simplicity)

...Part of finding our oomph is creating space for it to arrive.

All other things being equal, oomph flows into us during times when we have yoyuu.

But it's what do we do next that's important.

When the oomph impulse arrives, do we have the freedom, the awareness, and (yes) the courage to follow it? Are we ready to jump into the task / the project / the relationship / the adventure / the solution?

Or do we ignore it? Oomph, when held inside, will fester into regret, discontent, restlessness, even physical illness.

Ok, so let's assume we follow the impulse.

While we started with room to spare (yoyuu), now a creative fever ensues, and there couldn't possibly be enough time in the day to express this rush of vitality - to get the project done / to get the idea down on paper / to fight for the cause / to really know the other person / to take in all the beauty and wonder that surrounds us.

Inspired action squeezes out yoyuu.

But it's what do we do next that's important.

When the fever begins to subside, do we have the patience, the sensibility, and (yes) the courage to let that moment go and find yoyuu again?

Real life has yoyuu and no yoyuu. Creating an effective and healthful ebb and flow, that's the art.

June 21, 2025 - Summer Solstice

Tomorrow is the start of a new Seasonal Node. Each of the four seasons can be broken down into six smaller segments, called "Seasonal Nodes" (or "Solar Terms"), which come with specific instructions about what to do (and what not to do) to stay healthy, happy, and harmonized with the natural world.

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Heat is in the forecast.

Louisville is preparing for temperatures in the 90s this weekend and next week.

But I'm not referring to the outside...

(Side note: If this year is like most other years, we haven't reached the hottest part yet. Also, there are people in other places of the world who would argue, appropriately, that 90s isn't that hot.)

"Heat is in the forecast" is a warning.

One's internal fire expands and contracts over the course of the year:

This is a metaphor for the natural ebb and flow of the body's warming, active, creative, and transformative forces (its yang Qi). It's a mirror of what happens in Nature.

So here we are at full blaze.

Those of us who vent enough heat energy outward this summer will be fine.

Those of us who don't (who stay too isolated, inside, unproductive, uncreative, sedentary) will have problems in the fall and beyond.

(The classic texts call these problems "malarial disorders." But they don't mean malaria. They mean disorders that are hot and diverse).

Summer is the season of expression. It's the time to bloom - socialize, build, create, explore, run, dance, sing, and literally go outside (despite the heat). Not just because we can, but because our Nature requires us to.

These activities are required therapy - they vent internal heat and prevent it from turning into restlessness, rage, or worse later in life.

We're alive so we're playing with fire. Best not to be passive about it.

[Tomorrow is Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, so time's running out.]