Harvest Season
“Perhaps the art of harvesting the secret riches of our lives is best achieved when we place profound trust in the act of beginning. Risk might be our greatest ally. To live a truly creative life, we always need to cast a critical look at where we presently are, attempting always to discern where we have become stagnant and where new beginning might be ripening. There can be no growth if we do not remain open and vulnerable to what is new and different. I have never seen anyone take a risk for growth that was not rewarded a thousand times over.”
Today is Lughnasa. A celebration of the harvest to come.
We can use this time of year to reflect on the last year or on a set period of time, maybe even on our whole life to this point. When we look back there is a tendency to focus on what went wrong. We humans have a negativity bias. This harvest season maybe look at what has worked out well in life so far and store up the positive memories and lessons to discern decisions going forward. This is a time of year to congratulate yourself on your accomplishments. Be proud of yourself for how you have flourished so far and take the best of yourself with you going forward.
This August I will be aware of what hasn’t gone well for me in life and what habits I am still working on releasing. I am putting my focus on taking stock of the things, places and people in life that have brought a sense of peace and joy. Going forward I hope to choose mindfully what resonates with me and lights up my soul.
Harvest season is also a time of year to remember the mentors on your journey so far. Reflect on those people who have guided you in directions that served you well in life. Maybe tell them how grateful you are to have them or have had them in your life. If they have passed write them a letter and either bury or burn it.
I’m grateful to all the mentors in my life that came in the form of a childminder, my parents, a grandparent (now great grandmother), aunts and uncle, life long friendships, siblings, school teachers, a tennis coach, physiotherapy colleagues, yoga teachers, other mothers that I have met through my children, a mother in law and my husband. They have guided me in how to over come adversity, how to sing, dance and find the love of life in the face of adversity, encouraged my creativity, encouraged confidence in my talents, saw gifts in me that I didn’t see in myself, taught me how to be calm and remain loving during chaotic periods. They taught me to be less self critical, how to find compassion and unconditional love. I am grateful to have experienced and observed so much love in my life.
As Rumi said, ‘We are all just walking each other home.’
