Have you ever noticed how much hated tasks from childhood… often become a favourite pass time in adulthood?
Raspberry picking is one of those tasks for me!
I was such a high energy, on the go, dare I say… hyper kid, that standing still and having to fill an ice cream bucket with raspberries seemed like an insurmountable task that was keeping me from summer fun!
I loved picking to eat, but fill the WHOLE bucket… come on! be real!
It was part of spending the summers at the ranch in Northern Saskatchewan… everyone pitched in! I remember hilling potatoes, sitting against the wall of the house shucking peas with my cousins, pulling rhubarb (and getting to dip the ends into pure white sugar), washing carrots with the hose and picking berries… saskatoons, raspberries and wild strawberries.
Today as I sat, crouched, kneeled and stood for 6 hours of picking… so many memories came flooding back.
My grandma dropped me into a memory of picking tiny wild strawberries on the grass airstrip up at the lake. We were often picking with a bear, Grandma always had her rifle… but I cannot remember her having to use it. We would just move when the bear moved… we would stay at opposite ends of the airstrip and when the bear began to huff and grunt and act a little agitated we knew that we had picked enough from that particular spot and it was time to move on to the next! Grandma said that the bear was protecting its food supply and making sure that there would be a crop next year!
As I slipped my shirt off to pick in my sports bra and get a little extra sun… my Aunt Mabel dropped me into a memory of picking raspberries out at her daughter’s house. I was maybe 12 or 13 years old and my Mom, Aunt, Great Aunt and Grandma all took their shirts off and picked in their bras… I was soooo embarrassed! “It is no different than a bathing suit” they kept telling me! I did not care… I went to the other side of the raspberry bushes so that I would not be seen with them, but was still close enough to overhear the not-meant-for-young-ears adult conversations!
My Friend Maria’s Uncle AP showed up in his big straw hat and sat jovially on the other side of the bushes, eating and imparting wisdom about pruning. (He also said that he would like some raspberry muffins please!)
As you can see… raspberry picking brings out my best dead guides in droves! Why? Because I am completely in the moment, communing with the magic of the bushes and the abundance they bring into our home!
It made me think of something my daughter-in-law said the other day…“Do you remember how long and magical the summers were as a kid?”
Yeah… I sure do! I had that feeling out in the raspberries today… surrounded by abundance, love, great memories, sweet guides and summer heat!
I am resolved to experience this magic every day for the rest of the summer… paddle boarding on the lake, bike rides in the cool evenings, dancing in the rain, sitting around a campfire with friends, swimming in a cold lake…summer is short and is meant for fun!
What if we only have 10 or 20 or 30 summers left… they are much too precious to waste!
So… I encourage you to let your inner kid out this summer and see what magic you can stir up in your heart and which of your guides show up to play with you! You will know who they are by the memories that well up inside of you!
Happy summer sweet friend! ☀️❤️
Much Love,
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