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Harvest

I love the autumn for many reasons – my birthday, the fresh cool air, the warm sunshine of an Indian Summer (which only comes after the first frost and not before), apples, pumpkins, woolens, and many other things.  I also enjoy that fall heralds in the run up to the holidays which still excites me even at this advanced age.  And if we are harvesting and reaping what we have sown in summer, the fall can be a very happy season. 

Unfortunately, our New England summer left me wilted and drained and as Jane Austen once said about hot weather, “It keeps me in a continual state of  inelegance”.  The humidity, although not the highest ever, was chronic and every day was a bad hair day.  I’m ashamed to admit that I let myself go – my food plan, exercise, and a few other things.   Thus, my harvest is meager this fall.

Any time that I’ve made a big change in my life, I’ve done it on my own.  My transformations were executed and completed without the assistance of groups, therapy, or self-help books.  I simply went inside, decided what I wanted and made an active blueprint.  My method worked when I needed to get in shape, find a new job, or renew my appearance and style.  Once I made a decision that a change was in order, nothing could stop me.  And if I could have bottled my motivation, I would be very rich. 

So I’ve bought a pair of black Capezios and subscribed to a few online ballet classes.  I’m walking a lot more in the fresh air.  I’ve stocked my fridge with some lovely and healthy fall foods such as apples and citrus fruits, healthy whole cheeses and yogurt.  I’ve circled the wagons and purged some things that have been weighing me down around here for far too long.  For instance, why was I keeping an old wedding present that I never used?  Soon I will store my backyard summer things and plant some bulbs for next spring.  I have painted my front door a new deep velvety blue and hung a basket of dried flowers from a crisp brown satin ribbon.  I turned my closet around and let go of things that I no longer love.  I kept only those pieces that make my heart sing –  shoes and all.

And I’m still in planning mode.  I’m holding everything up to the light, searching for the watermark that says “this is for me”.  I will only visit places, see people, read the books, wear the clothing that uplifts and inspires and that even includes not visiting the online places I’ve been blindly going to for years. True freedom is just the ability to say no which is a gene I was never given.  Now it’s time to learn.  So this season, if it doesn’t feed my soul and produce a bountiful harvest, I will gently bow out.


What kinds of things are important to you this autumn?

Here’s my list:

Apples and pies
Home-cooked nourishing weeknight meals
October sunshine and walks
Dear friends who want to laugh
A special picnic near the sea at least once
Making coffee at work before everyone arrives each day
A new long-sleeve nightgown to keep me warm
Purchasing a de-piller for my sweaters
Giving to the charities I support
Opening my home to my niece and nephew whenever they are in town
Finding the perfect pair of brown leather boots
Read inspiring books that either entertain, center me, or inspire me
Finally take inventory of all my dishes and figure out which ones need to be replaced 
Volunteering at the library when I can
Making lists for Christmas

Finding the perfect chic tortoiseshell headband to hold my hair back (scored at JCrew yesterday)

Finish knitting my winter sweater and casting on a baby knit
Re-watch Anne of Green Gables, You’ve Got Mail, and Mona Lisa Smile while I knit
Visit my farmer’s market for tomato tarts and blueberry iced tea one last time before winter


~
(I’ve always loved the evocative woodcut above which is from Clare Leighton’s sweet gardening book,  Four Hedges).
  

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