Lesson 3: HARVEST – Bringing love, joy, and nature closer to your heart
Harvest time, the time for gathering nature’s bounty, enjoying the crops planted in Spring, and storing more for nourishment during the coming months. This is the time for canning preserves, blanching vegetables, gathering nuts and fruits, drying and salting meats, and storing nature’s bounty for future enjoyment and nourishment.
Animals also get in preparation mode by storing food and creating cozy hibernation spaces. Our nights get longer, temperatures fall and there is an ebb and flow of busyness and calmness.
In our busyness we rush out to buy decorations, gifts, plan and purchase party supplies. In our calmness we crave coziness and relaxation as night fall comes an hour sooner. We even slow down to notice the lights and decorations that are transforming our cities, downtowns, and neighborhoods.
We nurture the desire to harvest the love and energy of our family and friends. We create moments of laughter, fun, conversation, games, shopping, cooking, eating, and other festivities of community joy. We harvest these energies in our hearts and souls and replay them as memories when our days together have long passed.
Ways to indulge in Harvest Activities:
- Take pictures of the dinner table once it is set, snap shots of the decorations and pose for family photos. Then put the camera down and enjoy being engaged in the moment. Stay present and let your heart, mind and emotions capture the rest of the memories for you!
- Indulge in cozy drinks like hot cider, hot chocolate, spiced coffee – remember to capture the pleasure of all things that are seasonal.
- Cook healthy comfort foods like soups, stews, chili, casseroles with vegetables. Be sure to use the fruits and vegetables that are in season like apples, pumpkins, and butternut squash.
- Enjoy fireplaces, make smores, buy a few extra cozy throws and comfy pillows, you can never have too many.
- Remember to include a family after dinner walk or evening stroll through the neighborhood to add movement to your days.
- Purchase and play a card game that is questions and answers with your family and friends. It’s a great way to build after dinner memories while getting to know each other better.
- Indulge in pumpkin flavored everything, seasonal scented candles and soaps, roasted nuts, and dried fruits. Try new flavors like truffle accented cheeses, sauces, or treats.
- Break out your boots, sweaters, scarfs, and gloves as needed.
- Enjoy a group movie outing with the family.
Bring love, joy, and nature closer to your heart and share it with those you care about and enjoy life with. Spend your time harvesting the beauty of life and love this season. It will carry you into the New Year with a beautiful energy of creativity, fullness, and blessings.