There's always something to look forward to...
What are you excited for?
I’ve been waiting for something for months now and the time is nearly here. The first of my homegrown tomatoes are almost ripe!
The tomatoes have got me thinking… there’s always something to look forward to when you’re connected with nature. Tuning into the seasons, and loosely paying attention to the Wheel of the Year, has not only helped me feel more present, but also means I’m excited to look ahead…
“Ooh, the daffodils are coming through - spring is on the way!”
“The nettle seeds are almost ready to harvest!”
“The swifts will be returning soon!”
“I can’t wait to feel some sun on my skin!”
In Japan, the year is divided into not only four major seasons, but 24 sekki (solar terms), and 72 kō, or micro-seasons:
“Each kō lasts only five days and is associated with specific seasonal rituals, foods, flowers and festivals.
These micro-seasons are heralded by natural phenomena, such as the first sighting of returning swallows, plums ripening or the unfurling buds of a camellia. This elegant framework of flora and fauna breaks the year into a comforting, reliable rhythm. Each new kō gently grounds us in the present by reminding us to observe the changes in nature. It’s exemplified by the Japanese word kisetsukan – an awareness or sense of the seasons.”
(Extract from a Guardian article by Natalie Leon titled Forget the four seasons: how embracing 72 Japanese ‘micro-seasons’ could change your garden (and your life)
Having an allotment and sowing lots of seeds has helped me look forward this year too. OK, 75% of my plants may have been chomped by slugs and snails before they could produce anything more than a couple of puny little leaves and nearly all of my raspberries have been eaten by the local birds, but I don’t mind. At least someone’s enjoyed them. I’m such an allotment novice that anything I get is a bonus at this point, and my glut of courgettes, peas and potatoes has made up for all the lost fruit and veg I won’t get to taste.
That first bite of homegrown tomato is going to be totally worth all the hours potting on, feeding, watering and tending to my plants isn’t it? Let’s be honest, even if my tomatoes tasted bland I’d trick myself into thinking “they taste so much better than the ones in the shops” wouldn’t I? Because I’ve been looking forward to them for too long not to harp on about how good they are when, for a few months only, it’s their time to shine.
So today’s prompt is simply: What are you looking forward to right now? Let me know in the comments!
Our tomatoes are just starting to come and it is most exciting!
Lovely stuff! Tomatoes look great!