Pumpkin Picking w/ Pals

Like for many people, these next couple of months are what I look forward to the most. There is just something about the leaves changing color, the weather getting cooler and seeing pumpkins and orange everywhere that makes my insides overflow in happiness. Perhaps it’s also that growing up I’ve always had fond memories associated with this time of year; spending lots of time with my family and friends, cooking and baking delicious foods, and snuggling up on the sofa with a cosy film and blankets. 

As I’ve gotten older, I naturally have less and less time for these things as my school work has become a priority. At university, I found that to be even more true. I’ve been lucky enough to find myself a solid group of friends (or ‘pals’ as we call ourselves) but there was still a sense of longing for the warmth and joy this time of year brought. I told myself that once I have my own apartment, I’ll do the most to recreate that. Hence, pumpkin picking. 

Without surprise, the idea was met with groans. Understandably so, considering we’re not 4 years old nor are we grandparents to 4 year olds, probably the only two categories of people who go pumpkin picking. Nevertheless, I knew it would be a memory we would look back on in the years to come and more or less forced my pals to partake in it. 

The lead up to this outing was quiet hectic. Alec had a department luncheon he was missing, we had to plan for a second car since all of us couldn’t fit in one, Tazeen missed the bus bringing her from her campus to ours and the list goes on. By the time we all piled into Alec’s car, everyone was visibly grumpy. Although the farm wasn’t my pumpkin picking adventure of dreams, I did leave carrying more than just my little pumpkin. 

It was the beginning of a series of mini rifts and disagreements amongst us pals that lasted through the holidays. The first time ever in the years we’ve known each other. To our credit, it was a stressful time for everyone. But it was probably the longest rift ever. I promise there’s a point to this story. As tough as those months were, I never questioned if we’d remain friends. The answer was a resounding yes. It’s only natural to have disagreements and arguments especially with the ones you love. But it’s the actions and outcomes that determine someone’s character and ultimately whether they’re a friend or not. Despite the disagreements, my pals always showed up because they knew it meant a lot to me. And these pumpkin patch pictures are proof of that.