Driving through the Illinois
countryside last week, I realized how happy I was seeing the golden cornfields
being harvested, the soybeans turning from green to yellow and rust, the warm
sun shining in a deep blue sky with a cool breeze touched with hints of
autumn’s crispness. The new crop of apples were being picked at Tanner’s
Orchard, and everything looked, smelled, and sounded as if the season, and the
year, had reached the fullness of life, what we have been working for since
spring.
As I helped Jim and Peggy on
their organic farm, shucking and sorting the ancient Oaxacan green corn, I gave
thanks for how good it felt to be outdoors and physically active in a world of
such variety and beauty. The crop was larger than anticipated because the deer
and raccoons hadn’t found it. I rejoiced in getting my hands dirty and
celebrated the harvest being brought in, as people have done with corn for
thousands of years.
