"I am Mother Nature. All of creation bows before me. When people leave their cities and learn of me-walk in my woods, bathe in my rivers, eat of my harvest-they will find healing to their souls."
...Seth Adam Smith, Rip Van Winkle and the Pumpkin Lantern
I love the quote from Maya in the movie, "Sideways,"
when she's talking about the life of wine...
"How it's a living thing. I like to think about what was going on the year the grapes were growing; how the sun was shining; if it rained. I like to think about all the people who tended and picked the grapes. And if it's an old wine, how many of them must be dead by now. I like how wine continues to evolve, like if I opened a bottle of wine today it would taste different than if I'd opened it on any other day, because a bottle of wine is actually alive. And it's constantly evolving and gaining complexity. That is, until it peaks.”
I think of harvest time as that which comes full circle; whether it be beautiful jewels of the earth that make their way to our glorious tables; wonderful wine which opens for the first time or dreams that manifest in their organic and unfolding perfect time. But what is it that enables a harvest to take place? It all begins with a seed - an intention. This seed needs to be consistently cultivated, whether a plant of the earth or a goal we wish to attain. It takes our love and attention - taking wise and timely action to bring our intention full circle, and the greatest opportunity to experience this full circle process is with nature; and particularly at harvest time.
Those farmers who toil and cultivate their land, their love of family and their community, along with the wine makers, who are nurturing their vineyards and even more, the way they prune the branches, so the fruit yields its most beautiful flavor; all of this requires a team of those who are intent on the same purpose.