As the harvest ends, we are reminded of the energy that sustains us
As we get into the mode for the holidays, gratitude comes to the forefront of the mind. Gratitude is something we can cultivate at any time of year, but especially as the seasons change and it becomes clear that the harvest has ended, we must ground ourselves in stronger inner light to make it through the colder and darker days. We find ways to celebrate abundance to endure the winter despite the lack of local agricultural and recreational abundance. And this leads us to give thanks for the ability to do so.
Even in 2020, when many of us have survived one of the most challenging years of finances, health, and loss, we can cultivate gratitude and make our way out of the darkness toward the light.
Gratitude is giving “thanks” for anything, and it isn’t just in the social gesture of a “thank you”. Gratitude is moving energy from yourself to others in reciprocation for their good energy toward you. It’s the movement of love between yourself, other people, and even objects we can perceive as inanimate, such as the Earth itself. Many cultures in history have believed in the act of gratitude toward the Earth and land that allows for our survival, and it is my hope that we begin to restore that connection of reciprocal love energy. Staying mindful of your sustained life as a gift from the community and the land will allow you to stay conscious of, and happier about, the place and purpose that your life has here and now.
At meals, I always remind my daughter where our food came from, and the energy that was expended for someone to harvest that food. When it is delivered to our door from our local farmers’ market vendor (Number1Sons, naming them here for more gratitude to come their way) I show her every squash, carrot and sweet potato, to help us both remain connected to the farm and the delivery person who allowed it to come into our lives and sustain our bodies.
If we remain connected to the cycle of life and the network of love and energy that allows us to live, and therefore to think and create, then we can only be happier.
