Ripening time is a concept that takes on special meaning for me as autumn takes hold here on the farm, and the peach harvest arrives! Peaches, luscious and aglow with summer’s sun and warmth, grace autumn’s larder and fill me with wonder.
Each year I look forward to this sweet fruit of ripening time. And each year, like clockwork, the peaches arrive on our trees – sweet and abundant miracles.
Ripening Time: It’s Not Just About Peaches
So, the idea of ripening time is something we can all relate to when it comes to peaches. But how about other areas of our lives? I think that ripening time offers a useful perspective on many activities we engage in – and many challenges we face.
Here are some ways that I consider ripening time to be a useful concept and a powerful force in my life:
Ripening Time and Peacefulness
When I think of peacefulness and ripening time, I think of letting go. In our everyday lives, it’s important to know when to be proactive and when to let things be. Or more accurately, sometimes the best and most proactive choice you can make is to let things be.
Ripening time is not about being passive. No, letting things be can often be a huge challenge. And it doesn’t mean turning away. As with the peaches, what ripening time means is that we make a choice to give ourselves what we need and to open our hands and let go.
There’s quite a bit of courage involved in this choice; the Serenity Prayer comes to mind. In time, change will come. We don’t always know what shape or form that change will take, but we can rest assured that it will come. That is ripening time, and it brings you peacefulness.
Ripening Time and Profits
If you are a small business owner or entrepreneur like me, you know how challenging, stressful, and just plain difficult it is to embark on a new enterprise.
When I started Finding Time back in 2006, I didn’t really know how things would develop. I invested time and energy – lots of it – and I let things ripen.
Ripening time has an impact all its own – apart from the effort invested in an activity. You do what you can to set things in motion … and then things happen. Again – this isn’t a call for passivity. But it is a call to recognize that after a certain point, your business is working, even when you are asleep.
The forces that you have put in motion are percolating and evolving. That is ripening time.
So, whether you’re biting into a peach or selling a new product, know that working hard and letting go are both part of the powerful rhythm of ripening time.
Here’s to your time success!
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Well said…be it peaches or the daily life, working hard and letting go are very important.
You are so right, Sugandha. And there’s a rhythm to it – like the in-breath and the out-breath: working hard and letting go.
PS I love how creatively you are working the Blog Challenge – with a serial story. The teasers at the end of each post are excellent!
Love the analogies used for ripening time especially the part about letting go.
Thank you, Chivon – you hit on the key: letting go! Here’s to open hands and hearts!
I love ththe idea that Now, when I catch that wonderful scent , I will have another great association and check in with myself to let go and see what my work has wrought!
Hi Pippa – That’s a wonderful way to carry this with you. And may I suggest choosing a scent for every season? 😉
Very interesting post. I associate the letting go that is the essence of ripening with strengths such as receptivity, flexibility, perspective, and putting closure.
Hi Alison – I love your expansive associations; they sound spot on to me!
Great analogy of peaches ripening and life changing! Great thoughts and super post!
Hi Amy – I’m so glad you liked the post – and thanks for stopping by. I love your peasant food post … and am curious about how you came by the name for your blog. (It certainly got my attention!) 😉
Paula,
I appreciate this reminder from you today. I have found that taking care of myself and letting go rather than worrying about when my next job will come has proved the best way to attract the kind of work I am most interested in. Thanks for teaching me this valuable tool. I am a believer.
Hi Pat – I am so glad to hear about what you are learning (and gaining) from letting go. It surely does open doors, doesn’t it?
Love this analogy!
Thanks for your comment – and I loved popping over to your blog for a bit. Great job – the soup sounds wonderful!