Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. Sure, the free candy was always great, but there are two aspects to this holiday which really make it stand out above the rest.
Number One: Generosity
It is the one day of the year where you can knock on a stranger’s door and they’ll give you a treat. The best part is that they are happy to see you and really enjoy giving you something. This is one of the best things about Halloween. Wouldn’t it be great if we all behaved this way all year long?
Number Two: Creativity
You can be anyone, anything, or a combination of both. I love how people stretch their imagination and really let it all hang out. And, oh the decorations! Some houses we visit are absolutely amazing and pumpkin carving has really become an art form.
Currently, we live in a rural part of Western New York where it is common to meet and have the opportunity to know your local farmers. On the other hand, it took almost three years before we finally met our next door neighbors. They live pretty far from us and we never cross paths; we can’t even see their houses from ours. However, we didn’t always live in a rural area. There was a time when we lived in the suburbs. Yes, it’s true. We lived in the East Bay, about a thirty-minute drive from San Francisco. Everyone lived in little boxes, the kids walked or biked to school, and each neighborhood had their own swim club. Remember the show, “Desperate Housewives?” You got it. I was a desperate housewife.
We lived near every convenience; I could walk or ride my bike to three grocery stores, which included Trader Joes and a farmer’s market on the weekends. Although, we were in the middle of suburbia, our house was next to a 150-mile bike path and across the street was 900 acres of hiking trails. It was pretty nice. We interacted with your neighbors on a regular basis; we traded lemons from our tree for oranges from theirs. Everyone had twelve-foot high privacy fences around their properties so we all had, well – privacy.
I recall having a nice conversation with one of my neighbor, which ended with me saying that my husband was a farmer. She was stunned, shocked, needed to pause…then said farmer??? “Well – isn’t that cute.”
After she left, I thought about it – everyone has to eat, everyone! The animals that are eaten, they have to eat too! Not everyone needs an investment broker, a secretary, a computer technician, a chef, a banker, a pilot, a salesperson – those are jobs people can digest but the brave, incredible individuals who endure the impossible and work so hard to feed everyone on the earth along with themselves are CUTE! Yes, my husband is cute but that is beside the point.
Most people have never met a farmer, the hard working individuals that are feeding their families.
What a crazy world we live in.
I highly recommend that everyone – get to know their farmer.
