Harvest Season at Alyssa’s Yellow House

October is upon us, and it is harvest season in earnest. What do you think about when you think about harvesting? For me, I think about all the things I have learned over the past year, and how much I have grown as a person because of my experiences.

Sometimes, it can be a struggle to allow the harvest into my life, because it feels like things are changing. Do you struggle with the changing of the seasons, and sometimes, the changing seasons of life? Here are my top three tips for getting out of your own way to allow abundance into your life.

1.       Remember that harvesting often starts with a feeling of sacrifice. You have to cut the vine in order to harvest the pumpkin. Remind yourself that this is okay. The pumpkin vine has done its work, and its time has reached an end. Let the circumstances that led you here pass away, and the new harvest that is coming take precedence over what is gone.

2.      Enjoy a rest. Taking a break in between cycles is a critical part of the process of growth. Our culture tells us we should be productive all of the time, but nothing in nature is productive constantly. We all need a period of dormancy now and then, and taking time to enjoy the results of the harvest is a wonderful opportunity to rest and reset.

3.      Embrace the opportunity to start again. Harvesting this year’s pumpkins is the first step to planting pumpkins for next year. The vines that decay and fertilize the fields and the seeds you save when you cut open the pumpkin to make it into a delicious pie are the first steps to having another bountiful harvest in the future. The end of one cycle is also the beginning of another.

I love that life gives us these times to reflect and plan for the future. Watching the patterns of nature and noticing the ways they mirror my life helps me feel connected to the world and all the life that lives in it.

How are you spending your season of harvest? I would love to hear about your successes from this year, and what things you would like to learn over the next year.