Mick McEvoy is the manager and head of the permaculture garden known as the Happy Farm, at Plum Village, the Buddhist monastery founded by Thich Nhat Hanh in France. This week he posted an essay honoring autumn as a time to observe the cycle of birth, death, harvest, and renewal, and to recognize our place in the web of interbeing.

Having been raised in New England, I cherish the changing seasons and have always found the frosts, first snows, and the infinite number of browns and grays of November especially reassuring. His reflection is a wonderful reminder to slow down, choose joy in our connection to the earth—despite its wounded state—and to embrace giving and gratitude as vital practices.

"Perhaps many of our ancestors once lived in harmony with the spirit of the Honourable Harvest. Now, in this era of hyper-individualism, oligarchy, and the relentless pursuit of perpetual economic growth, many in our human family constantly extract without reciprocating. This is a factor contributing to the polycrisis we are now experiencing: climate crisis, nature crisis, and social crisis. Aware of the reality of interbeing and Thay’s teaching of 'No mud, No Lotus,' I offer the final word to Robin Wall Kimmerer:

'Even a wounded world is feeding us. Even a wounded world holds us, giving us moments of wonder and joy. I choose joy over despair. Not because I have my head in the sand, but because joy is what the earth gives me daily and I must return the gift.'"

ESSAY: The Wisdom of Autumn: The Reality of Interbeing is Unsurpassed.

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