Times of preparation

August always brings a feeling of starting afresh. It’s a month’s transition from the summer holidays to the new semester, with whatever that might entail. I remember the August feeling very vividly when I was at school as a kid: excitement was in the air. It felt like a new year… only the expectations weren’t nearly as high as on actual New Year’s Eve. I still get that feeling.

As a part of our preparations for the new school year, new work year, or maybe even a new job, I’ve noticed we tend to buy things. We have the urge to buy a new backpack, a new notebook, a set of new clothes, a new watch… Things that symbolise the new. It’s as if the purchase is part of the transitional ritual.

I find myself looking at knitted sweaters even though the sun is still shining bright, new shoes even though the ones I wore last year definitely will do for another season, and notebooks – ah! It might not be very surprising for a freelance writer, but I love notebooks and bullet journals. It’s as if I believe the book itself will make me a more structured and successful person – a better me.

According to the Old Farmers Almanac – a book intended to forecast the weather before today’s technology – August is a month for harvesting. The seeds have transformed into edibe crops, ready to be picked from the soil and fill us with energy before winter comes.

If you, like me, live a more urban lifestyle it might be wise to do things differently this year. Resources are not unlimited and inflation is noticeable. Instead of buying new, I will try to harvest whatever is already stored in my house and give it new life. After all, the most important preparation happens in the home, not the store.