The season of fall has a message for us: slow down, reflect, and celebrate abundance.
Many of us have a hard time slowing down, especially after the busyness of summer. Rather than trying to keep up with a full to-do list, consider taking a moment (or a day — or even two!) to be in alignment with this season. There are messages waiting on your answering machine (if you’re a young person, you may have to Google this contraption) that are only accessible to you once you find quiet and calm. Mother Nature has a lot of songs to serenade your soul and a lot of lessons to share. She also wants you to celebrate.
What is there to celebrate?
Well, it depends on what your year looked like. Maybe you have learned lessons. Maybe you tried something new in your garden and it worked out. Maybe you got to experience a sweet moment in the garden that filled you up with joy and calm. Maybe there is a lot of produce to eat, and you get to share it with friends, family, and neighbors. Here is an opportunity to nourish people you love and rejoice in the bounty! Perhaps you even have enough to can or freeze for the long winter ahead.
Maybe you saw happy critters in your garden beds, like a frog or a toad. Those are worth celebrating because they indicate a healthy ecosystem and a thriving habitat. Maybe you get to press apples into cider, which is what celebration tastes like! Sweet cider is a parting gift before the leaves fall into the ground. We are the recipients, learning how to accept a gift. Perhaps the harvest is found in our blooms! Gathering seeds, labeling and storing them, and saving them for a new season means many harvests ahead. Whatever you find to celebrate, it is important to actually take the time to feel celebratory feelings. Celebration is like we are turning around and thanking ourselves (for the work we put in) – and nature (for the work she puts in).
The message is clear: you have done enough. Take time to feed and nourish. Take time to breathe. Autumn tells us that the cold, long, dark days of winter will come, but for now, there is abundance. Celebrate with the trees and their final encore of color. It’s a celebration of a season and of life and death. Celebrate that the leaves and stems of trees, shrubs, and other plants are falling into the soil, feeding the mighty decomposers. The soil is receiving vital nutrients for the next growing season.
We go from seasons of abundance to seasons of scarcity. Sometimes, we are busy raising kids or hustling at work. We pour a lot of energy out during these chapters, while at other times, we find that we have more time for ourselves and for other things. When we have an abundance of time, it often makes us want to share it with others! How can we tap into that sense of giving from our full hearts? How can we celebrate this season of fall and find a unique message just for us?
We invite you to share plant material and knowledge with your pals. Have them over to share about how their season went! Times of reflection help us stay present and not miss opportunities to learn and connect. How did it go in your gardens during the growing season? Which areas of your garden flourished and which areas struggled? Your garden is ready to communicate. Are you?
Until next thyme,
My Thyme Gardens