David Graber is one of those authors that is always in the edge of my vision, he's probably on the list of folks who would count as people I think about at least once a week, roman empire style. The homie has lots to say, and even at his driest, the tangents and wormholes he inspires are second to few.
All this being the case, the only work until recently that'd I'd made my way all the way through was Bullshit Jobs, a masterpiece that has colored my years of software engineering in a negative light, but also paints hope and possibility in earnest thoughtful, helpful work.
A friend (@fee.cool) came to visit down from Grand Marais recently, and on the four hour drive down, was listening to another of Graber's works, 'The Dawn of Everything'. He'd only made it through the first few chapters, but was enamored by the idea of how many cultures existed in manors that were fundamentally estranged to one another as seasons past. People living in small hunting bands during warmer months, and posting up together in archaic cities as the days get shorter. Hierarchy breaking into egalitarianism during festivals, festivals we still celebrate, but in bastardized forms reeking with the meta of capitalism.
One thing I love about Minnesota is that there is a bit of a forced seasonality due to the extreme nature of winter. The first three years living here, I'd brave storms with a jacket I thought was strong enough, only to end up waiting at a bus stop walking in circles trying to stay conscious until a late bus arrived, then in spring buying an off season sale jacket that seemed a bit nicer. (I stumbled into owning a lovely parka that was accidentally shipped to my sister, so shout out the Nordstrom factory employee who mistook a jacket for her earrings). Though the differences here are extreme in July vs January, the day to day still generally fits a specific bill.
We have systems to try and be able to live Normally (tm) throughout the year. The same sorts of events, the same work, the same social structures, etc. The Dawn of Everything posited something different, that there was is a beauty in shifting structures that better fit different eras of existence. That we are aren't freed by existing in one way all the time due to convince, but trapped in this system.
This is all to say, this winter feels like a perfect time to experiment with this concept, what action would allow seasons of cold and warm to be more distinct? We often have people over, for games or food or Craft Church, a first idea I had was that during winter, a gravity towards this house of ours would be a worthwhile experiment, where as during summer, a pull away from this space could be the move. Now this directly makes a change for me and my room mates in not having to leave, but it would require folks to come here, which is a bit antithetical, but simple social existence indoors with safe people and warm food might be worth the trek. It also feels like a worthwhile time to build social existence in the trappings of a short walk, inviting those who are near, whereas summer could be more powerful for going far to others elsewhere.
My rough draft of the seasons focuses (meteorological)
Winter: Folks over for warm food, a shared skill, and a game every week, group
Spring: Garden Prep, House stuff, Service with groups every week, 1:1
Summer: Events to get outside, bikes, picnics, bonanzas every week, group
Fall: Education, growing community, new ideas every week, 1:1
This isn't to say something like craft church or shared meals is one season only, but it would be the express focus, or that you can't bike in fall, but when i'm thinking about how time is to be shared and expressed, this is how I think i'd like to do it. These are priorities not boundaries.
I'd love to know how others express their seasonality in this single speed world of ours.
Fair winds,
JT