Mindfulness

The Meditation of the Harvest

Work is more than its own reward; it can bring peace through purpose.

My Aunt and Uncle retired to a 40-acre farm in McMinnville, Oregon. They had sheep for a few years but ended up planting about 25 acres in filberts. It’s quite a process to lay out the rows, plant the bare root seedlings and get them established through the first 2–3 years. Then it’s another few years before they really produce.

The maintenance of the orchard, the pruning, weeding, and varmint control is a year long task, but something the two of them could do. The harvest, though, is another matter. The harvest requires a number of machines operating at the same time and manual labor.

A view from the tractor, with a full tote of hazelnuts.

So, they enlisted a group of friends from their days in the forest service. Also retired, they could arrive when the weather dictated, mid-week if needed, to help with the harvest. One year I brought my young daughter and was immediately drawn to the activity.

We were handed rakes and given the task of neatening up the end rows. Not knowing what to expect and being given chores, it was an added bonus to my daughter that we had a golf cart to tootle around in.

I don’t mean to romanticize the harvest, but it reminded me of what it might have been like to…