18 Jul Té’s Corner: Enjoy A Day of Self-Care in the Sun

She has the right idea: Get a good book, find a tree and relax. (“Girl Reading Under an Oak Tree” by Winslow Homer is in the public domain. Photo from the Bridgeman Art Library via Wikimedia Commons.)

By Donte Clark

Yesterday, as I was asleep, I could feel the sun creeping over the horizon and spilling in through the window. My blood felt warm and thick as I tossed around for the cool spots, making it unbearable to stay covered any longer.

This is usually how my days start. Each day I awaken around 6:30 a.m. With no alarm clock, my body naturally bounces up from a dream state to lean into the brightness of day.

While sitting across the sunlit carpet, I stretched my legs forward and straightened my back. With both hands, I reached for my toes and felt the burn. With 20 minutes of deep breathing and twisting around to loosen the aches and tension from odd sleeping positions, I felt more relaxed.

Juiced to start my day, I walked outside to feel the heat upon my skin. Walking barefoot across the grass, I watched the squirrels run across the phone wires.

The wind was still, bringing the pores on my face to drip sweat. When the sun is out, my advice for you is to enjoy. A prayer towards the blue sky of thanksgiving for all the eye can see. An invigorating full-body exercise, with speakers roaring sweet jazz. A drive down the coastline with windows down, laughing

with loved ones while freestyling over snapping fingers and car door slaps. Find a tree, with a good book, and rest there. Only allow your eyes to run

across the page until eyelids shut.

Watch the geese pick through grass while wobbling past you.

Fill your appetite with a warm Ethiopian injera and veggie combo. Crack open your canteen of spring water and hydrate. Come home to your bed with a new skin tone and a summer hymn in your bones. While the sun is out, my advice for you is to enjoy.