I don’t know what happened this year, but I can’t believe it’s already October. I swear we were just waiting for things to green up around the Farm, and now the fields have changed, the leaves are starting to come down, the evenings are getting shorter, and I’m grabbing a sweater before I head outside in the morning.
October feels like a turning point at the Farm. There are still beautiful days when you want to be outside, but the cooler evenings make coming back inside feel good. The landscape around us looks different almost every morning, and there is this very obvious winding down happening outside.
Meanwhile, the rest of us are about to wind up, because we all know what’s coming.
The holidays are still far enough away that they haven’t completely taken over the calendar, but they’re close enough that you can see them coming. Soon there will be gatherings, shopping, cooking, decorating, travel, year-end work, invitations and all the little traditions that somehow have to find their way into a very small number of weeks.
And I want to be clear about something. I like the holidays. This isn’t a blog about surviving them. I love the food and traditions and making things. I love pulling out things we haven’t seen since last year. I love the reasons to gather and the little things we do year after year simply because we’ve always done them.
But things we love can still take a lot out of us. Maybe that’s what makes October worth paying attention to.
October Has Something the Next Two Months Don’t
October still has a little space around the edges. Not unlimited space, obviously. We still have jobs and appointments and laundry and all the normal things that make up a life. But there may still be a weekend that hasn’t been spoken for, or a Saturday when nobody expects you anywhere. You may not have reached that point where you look at the calendar and realize every weekend between now and the end of the year has something written on it.
That little bit of space is easy to give away. We tell ourselves we’ll keep the weekend open just in case, see what comes up, or save our plans for later. Then something always comes up, because an empty square on a calendar seems to have a way of attracting things.
That’s why I’m starting to think October might not be the month to keep open. Maybe it’s the month to actually put something on the calendar for yourself before somebody else does.
Most of the time, we think about taking a break after a busy period. Finish the project, then take a day off. Get through the event, then rest. Make it through the holidays, then recover. That makes sense, but there’s also something to be said for not waiting until you’re worn out.
There’s some research behind this, too. A large review published in 2025 looked at 32 studies on vacations and found that taking time away can have a significant positive effect on well-being. One of the things researchers found particularly important was something called “psychological detachment,” which is basically the ability to mentally disconnect from work and everyday responsibilities for a while.
The American Psychological Association also recommends intentionally making time for yourself as one way of dealing with holiday stress. The only problem with waiting until the holidays are underway to make that time is figuring out where exactly you’re going to put it.
Once the calendar is full, taking an afternoon for yourself can become one more thing you’re trying to squeeze into an already busy week. October, on the other hand, is sitting right here.
What If the Weekend Didn’t Have to Accomplish Anything?
Maybe this is my favorite part of the whole idea. You don’t have to use an October weekend to get ready for the holidays.
You don’t have to get ahead on shopping, organize the house, make things for other people, or use the time to become more efficient so you can accomplish even more in November and December. What if the weekend didn’t have to be productive at all?
That’s something I see happen at Big Raven Farm during our creative retreats. There is always plenty to do here, but there isn’t much that you have to do.
You might spend most of Saturday working on something and lose track of time. You might take a yoga class and then decide you’re done being ambitious for the day. If the weather is beautiful, you can go outside. If you’re in the middle of a project and don’t want to stop, don’t. You might sit down after dinner and stay there much longer than you intended because the conversation is good. Or you might go to bed early.
Nobody gives out awards for making the most of your retreat weekend, and I actually think that’s important. We are very good at turning even our free time into something that needs to be performed. We want to use it wisely, make the most of it and come home with something to show for it.
I’m not sure we always need to. Sometimes three days can just be three really good days.
This time of year at Big Raven Farm also fits that idea, too. The landscape around us is changing quickly. The fields have settled into fall colors, the woods are losing their leaves, and the whole place feels quieter than it did in the middle of summer.
One of my favorite October moments is standing on the patio with a hot cup of tea or coffee and looking out over the fields. There can be so many colors out there this time of year, and then you get that cool breeze coming across the patio. Although, if I’m being completely accurate about October in Minnesota, sometimes “cool” is being generous and it’s just plain cold. Either way, that hot cup tastes especially good.
The days are shorter, so evenings inside stretch out a little longer. Dinner feels cozier, and sitting around a table covered in paper, paint, fabric and half-finished projects feels especially good when it’s chilly outside.
I don’t know exactly what it is about making things in the fall. Maybe it’s because so many years of school calendars have trained us to think fall means it’s time to start something new. Maybe it’s the cooler weather. Whatever the reason, October works here.
Not because we’ve created some elaborate fall experience around it. The Farm just becomes what it becomes this time of year, and I think that’s enough.
And Then You Go Home
Eventually, of course, you go home. The laundry will still be there. Your inbox will have survived without you. The calendar will still be filling up, and the holidays will still bring whatever they bring every year.
A weekend away doesn’t fix any of that, but that isn’t really the job of a weekend away.
Maybe the point is simply that for a few days, before the calendar gets crowded and everybody starts needing to know where you’ll be and what you’re bringing, you will be able to spend your time differently. You made something because you wanted to. You ate something somebody else cooked. You went outside, laughed, had a long conversation or went to bed when you were tired.
And if you want to come but nobody else can make it that weekend, come anyway. We recently wrote about why so many guests come to Big Raven Farm without knowing anyone else, because waiting for somebody else’s schedule to match yours can become one more reason not to go.
Then you head home. You’re not suddenly organized, and you probably aren’t carrying a foolproof plan for a stress-free holiday season, because I’m pretty sure that doesn’t exist. You just had a good weekend, and maybe that’s more useful than we give it credit for.
There’s still time between now and the end of the year, but if history tells us anything, it won’t feel that way for very long. Soon enough, those empty squares on the calendar will start disappearing. Some will be filled with things you genuinely want to do, some will be obligations, and some will probably be things you agreed to six weeks earlier and will wonder why on earth you thought they sounded like a good idea.
That’s life. But right now, it’s October.
If you’ve been thinking about coming to Big Raven Farm for a creative retreat in Minnesota, maybe don’t wait for a weekend when absolutely nothing else is happening. I’m increasingly convinced that weekends are a myth.
Bring a friend if you want to, or come on your own. Bring comfortable clothes, something you’re excited to work on and whatever book has been sitting beside your bed for the last six months. We’ll handle the meals, there will be coffee, and you can decide how much or how little you want to fit into your days.
The Farm will be here, and the holidays will still be waiting when you get home.
Maybe that’s exactly the point.
If you’ve been thinking about coming to Big Raven Farm, take a look at our upcoming retreats. Maybe there’s an October weekend with your name on it.
Joleen
Big Raven Farm