Autumn Rituals

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

It’s an autumn tradition in the U.S. to go apple picking, and visit pumpkin patches to get the best pumpkin for Halloween, and grab some cider before you hop on the hay ride, and sometimes end the day with a bonfire and s’mores. Sometimes it involves telling spooky stories, sometimes it involves laughter and songs, and other times it just involves silence. We all grew up with that. 

Now when I think about it, the whole ritual sounds silly. We pay for an overpriced bag of apples and the quality of the apples is always a hit or miss. There is really not much to the hay ride. It’s sitting at the back of a trailer with hay on it while it drives around the farm at 15 miles an hour. And yet, every year my friends and I itch to do it all over again the moment the first fall wind blows. We go and we pay and we ride and we drink, and we find the whole idea silly and we laugh.

But something has changed over the years. We have stories to tell now. We aren’t necessarily making new memories but rather recalling the old ones; solidifying our friendships while exchanging our experiences from when we were children - when trying to grab the apple from the highest branch was so much more exciting. Somehow doing this over and over again, reminds us of the simpler lives we all once had, helps us get in touch with our innocent selves that was content with just a hay ride and a glass of apple cider.

Childhood memories, no matter how silly, are so terribly important for our sanity today. I think we lose ourselves in the stress, and the work, and the selfishness when we lose our sense of self. We must never forget who we were and how we came about to be. We must never forget that happiness sometimes just means spending a Sunday at the apple farm.

I do hope this fall you take a moment to relive your childhood. Pick your favorite thing you did as a kid and do it all over again no matter how silly it seems. You’ll be happier for it. You’ll be better for it. 


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26 comments

  1. This paints such a pretty picture in my head! Awesome Raajii :)

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  2. I love doing things I already loved as a kid. Still so much fun! :)

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  3. Childhood memories stay don't they? :)

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    1. They certainly do, and I think they should :-)

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  4. This apple makes me feel to eat it. Lovely color.
    Love your pictures Raji. Found you on instagram and Facebook.

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    1. Aww, thank you for following on Instagram and facebook :-)

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  5. I couldn't agree more :-)

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  6. That's what festivities are for- to connect, to retell, to enjoy each other's company. In this world where everyone is in a hurry to go on about their lives, it's good to pause and relish the moments together.

    Thank you for visiting my blog. Looking forward to reading more of your posts. (✿◠‿◠)

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  7. P.S I loved your thoughts in the 'About' page. The mightiest of the power resides in ideas and imagination. Once they are transformed into words, they are immortalized. ^^

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    1. Thank you very much Sui! I am looking forward to reading more of you as well.

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  8. This is so true... I went on a swing with my youngest and it was so fun, it reminded me of when I was a child and I would hang out at the park for hours :)

    Thank you for your nice comment on my blog, I appreciate you dropping by :)

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  9. I love going apple picking with the kids. It is a tradition, a fun family outing. And I agree, we need these chill times to let go and just have fun. Happy sunday.

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    1. Absolutely! Thank you for your comment :-)

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  10. You know one of the simplest and the biggest pleasures in my life...has been visiting blogs like these and taking good long deep breaths after finishing each post..and smiling thereafter...

    And since the last five months or so..somehow google is not letting me comment on any of em...mine too... You know what I mean right?

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    1. Aww, how come? I was wondering where you had disappeared.

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  11. Your writing is beautiful and visual, Autumn is my favourite season as well as Spring. Memories of childhood stay with us and we should re-visit those rituals occasionally.
    Thank you for your lovely comment at my blog; my problem is a matter of the heart which has hurt me most profoundly. I find I am a little lost at present but hope I can find the words and be inspired to write again.
    xoxoxo ♡

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    1. I am all too familiar with matters of the heart and I do hope your heart heals soon.

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  12. How I would love to sit behind a trailer on top of hay and live what you lived. But we all have our own little experiences and vivid memories of it isnt it?
    This and the picture was sooooooo beautiful.

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    1. Yes, that is what I am hoping to achieve from this post. Whatever your childhood memories may be, you should not let them go - go revisit them when you get a chance!

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  13. most of what we grown ups have are memories ... past is cherished ... because the present world has become so sad, brutal, sick and cruel and its become more with each day.

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    1. The good memories we hold on to, give us the strength to create new ones!

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  14. You always write the most beautiful things. I have never been apple picking. I wanna go!!!

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    1. You must go apple picking :-). How can you be in Kentucky and not go apple picking?! :-)

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  15. Recently I had been recalling my childhood as well. Every word written here...couldn't agree more. I feel at peace after reading this.

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