Autumn is in the air. The leaves have started their change. Rumi’s 5am pee breaks are no longer dusted by the pinks of an awakening sky.
I feel a quieting at summer’s end. Energy shifts, moves deeper. I am pulled towards looking at things that need examining before the days grow any shorter or darker. This is the time of year when I must make space before the ultimate, quiet season of winter takes over. If I am alone with unexamined thoughts then, I do not fare well. Ironically, autumn is my favorite season even though it ushers in the hardest part of the year for me.
Like many, Seasonal Affective Disorder has been a big part of my adult life. Blue light therapy works wonders, but I have found another practice that has equal benefits.
At summer’s end, I indulge in some good, old-fashioned water-bath canning. Mason jars line the kitchen counter, lids popping after boiling water submersion, brilliant and satisfying colors glimmering. I am not an expert canner but know enough to get a few treasures downstairs to the pantry. They rest until needed mid-winter.
wild apples collected out back. makes great apple chutney 
Canning is an activity that brings tremendous satisfaction and surprising peace of mind. Hands move purposefully. Each step allows me to reflect on summer joy and heat while I ready for winter’s dark and chill. I am preparing for a season that is challenging for me. I am saying: I see your approach. My little counter bounty and I will be okay when your heavy, dark cloak descends upon us.
Or sometimes I just say, Fuck you, winter.
So, at summer’s end, I make room. I prepare my internal guest house for all that may arrive. I thank Rumi (4-legged) and Rumi (2-legged) for guiding my mind to wide-open pastures.
The Guest House
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.The dark thought, the shame, the malice.
meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.Be grateful for whatever comes.
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
From The Illuminated Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks
What a timely post! I just picked up my boxes of Roma tomatoes to get canning! Retirement is allowing me to get back to things I used to do until the hamster wheel arrived.
Glad you kicked that hamster wheel to the curb… reclaimed time to get back to other productive activities is freedom indeed. Enjoy!
How I can relate! Loving my vacuum freezing system…I’m delving into canning next. There’s something about the whole process of preparation for the approaching months of hibernation that I’m finding rewarding. A false sense of control maybe? Who knows, but I’m digging it! I love seeing the canisters, jars, and bags aligned neatly on the shelves of my pantry waiting to be opened and enjoyed on a winters night. ✨❄️
Any semblance of control is good these days! Having firsthand knowledge of your cooking skills, I hope I’m there one winter evening to enjoy the fruits of your labour 😋
I lovingly remember my aunt who not only had a garden every year but canned elk and moose meat in preparation for the long cold winters in Dauphin Manitoba. A generation of hard working self sufficient, talented women of that era.
Thank you for keeping and sharing that skill. Sometimes, the simple things not only ground us but bring so much joy in our lives. Another wonderful post 💕
I always wondered how they preserved meat without pressure canning equipment. Incredible skills and self-reliance abilities. Astute point about the grounding aspect of the process, an enhanced connection to the earth.
Autumn is also my favourite time of year, but I am a lover of winter, so it never holds the tinge of wary sadness that it brings to others. I love that you mindfully strategize to make the change of seasons work for you. Happy canning! I will be experimenting with making jelly out of my goji berries. We’ll see how that goes.
Tinge of wary sadness…you have a way with words, Arlene. Did you grow the goji berries? Amazing!
Yes, the gojis grow on a bush like looks like Sideshow Bob’s hair in front of my house. The birds and bunnies love them.
No kidding! I wonder if a dehydrator would work too?
That’s a back-up plan