Letter from the Editor: Harvest & Home

 

September has always felt a little funny to me.

The calendar says fall. The stores say fall. Social media is suddenly full of sweaters, changing leaves, steaming bowls of soup and pumpkins on every available surface.

Meanwhile, here in Florida, it is still hot.

Very hot.

The trees are green. The sun is bright. We aren't exactly rushing to light the fireplace.

And I think I'm finally okay with that.

This September, instead of trying to force my life to look like somebody else's version of fall, I want to pay attention to the season that's actually happening around me.

That's where Harvest & Home came from.

Harvest doesn't only have to mean baskets overflowing from a perfect garden. Sometimes it's looking around at what you've been working on and deciding what's worth carrying forward.

What's working?

What have I learned?

What needs a little more attention?

What am I ready to let go of?

And home, for me, is very much a work in progress.

There are projects that need finishing, rooms that need attention, things that need organizing and a yard and garden I'm still figuring out. There will probably be at least one new project started before another one gets finished because, well... apparently that's how I operate.

But I'm realizing I don't need to wait until everything is finished to enjoy the home we're creating.

I can cook something wonderful in an imperfect kitchen.

I can bring home something old and beautiful and find the perfect place for it.

I can plant something and see what happens.

I can sit down with a good book.

I can make a room feel better without completely remodeling it.

I can invite people in before everything is picture-perfect.

And I can welcome fall without pretending it's 62 degrees outside.

That's what we're exploring this month at Unapologetically Diverse.

We'll be working around the house, starting the Florida fall garden, cooking with those first rustic flavors of the season, talking books, finding beautiful old things, trying products and ideas that make everyday life a little better, and sharing the discoveries that are actually worth passing along.

I'm also finally doing something I've talked about for a while.

I'm sitting down behind a microphone.

This month I'll begin recording the first pieces of the Unapologetically Diverse podcast. I'm not entirely sure yet what it's going to become—and I actually like that. We're going to start with stories, conversations and discoveries and let the show find its rhythm along the way.

That feels pretty appropriate for this whole thing.

Because Unapologetically Diverse was never supposed to be about having one perfectly curated interest or fitting life into a neat little category.

It's about being curious.

Trying things.

Learning things.

Making things.

Going places.

Creating a home and a life that actually feel like ours.

And sharing the really good things we find along the way.

So that's September.

No pretending we're buried in autumn leaves when we're actually standing underneath a canopy of green.

We're going to enjoy the season we're in while making room for the one that's coming.

Welcome to Harvest & Home.

I'm glad you're here.

Keep Discovering,
Mariah
Unapologetically Diverse
Helping You Discover a Life You Love