“I have done nothing all summer but wait for myself to be myself again.”
Georgia O’Keeffe
The calendar says it’s fall so I trust that Mother Nature will figure it out again soon. I feel more like myself in the fall than any other time of year and I’m ready for that feeling again.
Life is harder in the summer and I’m exhausted as the warmer weather hangs on, wearing out its welcome in September.
I’m ready for the world to be beautiful again. I’m ready for cool days, long hikes, flannels and the smell of campfire smoke. I’m ready for spooky books and cozy blankets, for hot chocolate and the sense that anything is possible because nature is showing us how beautiful it is to let things go.
I’m ready. Are you?
All work and no play makes Jill a dull girl. That’s how I have felt lately. There just haven’t been a lot of opportunities to get out and explore. Even hiking has been a challenge this summer.
So when I learned yesterday morning that it was opening day for the sunflower patch at Walker Farms in the Hocking Hills AND when I realized I would be passing right by after work, there was no doubt I would go.
If you were there, I was the one in dress pants and chunky heels. If there were more than five people present the entire time I was there, I might have felt out of place.
Only about half the flowers were open and I saw just two varieties in bloom, but it was a lovely experience.
It was about 70 degrees, a far cry from the sweltering heat and humidity that have marred this summer. The sky was blue with some interesting cloud formations and it was a relief to be away from humans and among the living,
The living in this case consisted mostly of gorgeous flowers along with countless bees and some butterflies.
They have some fun props including a tricycle and some old doors that are perfect for photo ops. I imagine a lot of kids will do senior pictures there next month. There’s an old tractor and hay wagon that I believe they will use for actual hay rides on weekends during the u-pick pumpkin season.
I’m glad for places like this. For one thing, they give small farmers a different way to monetize their fields. They give kids and families a place to learn about farms and maybe learn where food comes from. They give everyone something beautiful and peaceful to enjoy. They also give pollinators a fabulous and safe playground.
We are all winners!
I stood amidst the flowers and drank in the fresh air. I could still hear traffic from the busy four lane highway nearby but it didn’t ruin the experience too much. I had been to training in Columbus and had seen and heard much worse on the way home in terms of traffic.
Planting my feet in a field was exactly what I needed.
It reminded me of the garden my grandparents grew when I was a kid. I remember “helping” when I was little. I’m sure I wasn’t that helpful but I do remember the smell of dirt and fresh beans, the taste of cold watermelon on the front porch, and the sticky silks of corn that we husked together.
I would love to have a garden like theirs but, in reality, it would be an impressive patch of weeds. They had both grown up knowing exactly how to best use their seeds by planting properly and at the right time. Growing vegetables requires more precision and patience than I will ever have.
So, instead, my vegetables come from the store but my memories come from somewhere far away. I harvest them when I can but nowhere are they richer or more alive than when I stand in a place like this sunflower field.
Farmers across Ohio now plant fields of sunflower and let folks visit for a few bucks. Find one near you and go enjoy!
Here’s one of my travel rules: if you’re in a city, always look for ways to get a view from up higher.
The best place to do that in Cleveland is at Terminal Tower but they were closed when we were there. So, we made do with a good view of one street from the Louis Stokes wing of the downtown library. We started at the main library building and then followed a tunnel beneath a reading garden to access the Louis Stokes wing.
This library is a lovely place to visit if you get a chance!
Have you heard of glimmers?
As I consider my own gratitudes, exhaustion, and seeking ways to soften my own life, I find this concept has been a recurring theme.
The general idea is that a glimmer is something small that sparks joy in your life. We are tallkjng about the truly small things like that first sip of hot chocolate on a fall evening, catching sight of the full moon, or hearing laughter from afar.
Glimmers usually aren’t typically planned although I suppose they could be. They are incredibly good for our mental health because they are small reminders that life isn’t so bad and they help us build emotional resilience.
When you see the good in the world, you assume there is more good beyond what you see. There’s something positive around the next corner.
A glimmer is the opposite of a trigger. While triggers are the small things that irritate us and fire up lots of negativity, sadness and anger, glimmers will calm and soothe. They make us happy. They make us smile. They spark creativity and joy.
This week has not been the best but I have been enjoying some glimmers here and there. One day this week I was waiting my turn at a busy intersection and happened to look over to see a little bird splashing in a mud puddle at the side of the road. That little guy was experiencing pure bliss, splashing, ducking under the water, and spinning around before splashing some more!
That same day, I saw a beautiful rabbit in a neighbor’s yard.
I was on the road for work yesterday and experienced construction and traffic delays in multiple locations. As I headed home, I impulsively drove right past my turn to come home and headed to the Dollar General down the road. Whoever owns the field next to that store has planted it with sunflowers. It’s a glorious display of sunflowers right there along a busy state route.
My pictures are terrible because I didn’t want to trespass and had to aim my phone camera through some brush and the iPhone camera isn’t great. Still, isn’t it lovely to think that someone would plant such a beautiful display of flowers just to give me a glimmer one August day?
Look around you, friends. There are glimmers everywhere. You just have to know how to spot them!