The sweaters have come out of the storage and the shorts have gone into the closet, and thus begins the down-shift season. With just a bit over a month left to go in our harvest season, the last half of October brings a slowing down. With all the planting finished, the deconstruction happens on a much more flexible timeline. We suddenly have time to focus on things other than the farm, like the gorgeous October weather, sitting on the porch with friends and neighbors, petting the pets, reading books, hiking, each other. All that was once a fire to put out becomes a fire to sit around and relax.
People ask me if I’m excited for the winter. The answer is more bittersweet. While I am ready to slow down and enjoy some of life’s better moments, to celebrate our anniversary and Halloween, to rest and renew, to visit family and friends, the change of seasons also brings the dissipation of our farmily, and colder weather for this self-proclaimed cold wimp.
But I’m going to live in the October moment. With leaves starting to turn, and the sunshine warming our faces in the day, and my new patio heater warming them on porches with friends and neighbors at night (self-proclaimed cold wimp, remember?), I’m going to embrace the down-shift with all I’ve got, maybe even hit the brakes a bit.
