7 Ways to Harvest Autumn Pleasures
Enjoy autumn in as many ways as you can imagine!
Autumn Brings the Harvest Celebrations
September brings the end of summer and back to school. With the Autumn Equinox on September 22, we start enjoying the harvest, the falling of leaves and special celebrations. What would you enjoy doing during this wondrous colorful time? Here are some ideas for you to consider.
1. Autumn’s Possibilities
Start by brainstorming all the possibilities in your area. Do you have hiking trails or places to ride a bike? Are there festivals nearby? Do arts and crafts shows set up in your area? Do you prefer sitting around a firepit sharing stories? Are your favorite foods available? What can you find to enjoy that’s only available this time of year?
My Autumn favorites include: hiking at Cunningham Falls, the annual Colorfest of arts and crafts, pumpkin pies and apple dumplings, Halloween decorations, parties on the deck and stories around the firepit.
2. Decide What You’d Like to Do
Once you’ve brainstormed your list, decide what you would like to do. You have three months of evenings and weekends to enjoy. Plan as much enjoyment as you can to celebrate how you choose. Decide your perfect balance of what you’d like to do as solitary pursuits and what you’d like to do with others.
Claim your choices! You deserve to engage with life fully! Enjoy the things that mean the most to you. Allocate your resources efficiently to effectively choose the life you would love to live. Instead of letting life happen to you, choose what you truly desire and go for it. You’ll work harder to obtain resources if you have a clear idea of what you want to spend them on. So choose wisely to avoid overworking. Then enjoy your life’s work and play.
3. Anticipate Your Enjoyment
Your imagination can be your best friend. A significant part of the enjoyment of any activity is in the anticipation of it. Use your imagination to fully experience your activity in simultaneous multi-sensory detail to begin your anticipation. The more senses and emotion, the more you’ll enjoy it and the more it will motivate you.
Always include a caveat in your imagined activity. “This or something better still” allows you to enjoy the actual experience fully without any attachment to the way you imagined it. Some wonderful things can happen that you might never have been able to dream of ahead of time.
4. Splurge on a Little Self-Care
You are the only person responsible for caring for you. You may enlist others to support that endeavor, but they are not responsible for your care. You are! So be your own best friend and be sure to take very good care of yourself mentally, emotionally and physically. Which of the activities on your list will help you care for yourself? Which activities require the least effort with the most enjoyable care?
Adjust your schedule as needed to include a variety of activities that are mentally, emotionally and physically restorative. Walking through a large outdoor craft show can boost all three if you attend annually with family or friends. Nostalgic hikes or vacations in the mountains can be wonderful self-care choices. Splurge a little on your favorite ideas.
5. Community Celebrations
Autumn seems to be a favorite time for communities to hold activities. Many towns have community festivals, Renaissance festivals, faery festivals and a variety of others. Most of these include the products of local artists and craftspeople with a variety of skills. Toward the end of autumn, many craft shows are set up for holiday treasures. You can support the members of your community by participating in such festivals and shows as a producer or consumer. Most of us know some of the people who set up at such shows, and know they would appreciate our loving support.
Harvesting season is a great time of year to remember our interdependence. Gratefully imagine all the people involved in supplying all the things you consume, starting with food, especially your unique seasonal favorites, and clothing and accessories, especially those made with personal care. Even the art that brings nature indoors is beneficial to your mental and emotional health. Be wise with your consumption and enjoy your special choices.
6. Celebrate in Nature
Enjoy the crisp, fresh air and spend time in nature as often as possible. As previously mentioned, hikes in the woods, mountain vacations, sharing stories around a firepit and other outdoor activities are great ways to celebrate the season. You can do a variety of outdoor activities for little to no expense.
Humans need frequent contact with nature. You can ground yourself by walking barefoot on grass or sand. The sounds of the ocean and waterfalls are energizing. Sunshine is necessary for physical and mental health. Autumn is the perfect time for frequent outdoor activities with its moderate temperatures.
7. Allow Activities to Unfold Serendipitously
Although you plan for and anticipate your favorite activities, remember to hold them loosely. You cannot predict everything that could happen. Set an intention for what you want or something even better. Then allow the activities to unfold naturally. You’ll be surprised to see how many wonderful adventures happen serendipitously. So stay open for opportunities beyond your wildest dreams, and say “yes!” when they appear.
Harvest as many enjoyable and restorative activities as you can during this season. Fill your treasure chest with memories that are big and small. You deserve it!