Hello, September,
Photo by Rachel Wilson ©
September has always felt like the start of the new year. Like it’s some kind of mile marker etched in by the years of following the school schedule. A time to wipe away the old and start over.
And I am all for it!
Because the end of August broke me. Seriously.
Within a week's time, my eldest moved away to college; I withdrew from the farmers market after a 45% drop in sales this season; I started a part-time job, outside of the house for the first time in a decade, after years of working from home or for myself; my youngest started high school, and my husband was working 16-hour days 1,300 miles away from home.
It was a lot of change all at once.
I kept my smile straight when I was out in public, as we're all trained to do. Compartmentalize. Wearing different faces for different things.
But the second I walked in the door and my walls were down, I was a fucking mess.
Then September hit, and for a second I could catch my breath again and assess what I could change and what I couldn't.
As far as the farm goes... We are finishing up our flower club this month, then cutting down the garden and planning again for next year.
The thing with gardening is, you can always tear it all out and start over.
I think next year we are going back to the reason we started gardening: growing veggies + flowers because they bring me joy. Not because they turn a profit.
Because after years of thinking of flowers in terms of what they were worth per stem, it took all the beauty away from it...
But one thing I did realize along the way was how I became the go-to person for everyone’s gardening questions.
I don’t have all the answers, but I’ve learned a lot. And I’m ready to share it with you.
So I want to spend more time focusing on teaching gardening. Connecting with other humans, making real food again, getting back into photography, painting, and pottery, and mostly, just hanging out with my family.
Because if there is one thing that the last month has taught me, it is that time is the currency that I value the most.
That’s all for now.
~Rachel
