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Eat Fruit in Its Season
What Quebec’s Cherry Season taught me about life and letting go
Some moments taste better simply because they are fleeting. I discovered this while eating a bowl of glossy black cherries by the window in Quebec.
Their season was so brief it felt like a secret between me and the summer. In that single, quiet moment, I finally understood what my parents had been trying to teach me all along.
My parents used to say, “Makanlah buah pada waktu musimnya. Seperti burung-burung.” (Eat fruit in its season. Just like the birds do.)
For years, I followed that advice without ever thinking about its true purpose. In tropical Indonesia, fruit seasons are incredibly diverse and often overlap, making the abundance feel continuous. Durian, mangosteen, rambutan, mango, and guava would arrive in turns or even all at once. So, the sense of plenty felt almost endless.
It was only after moving to Quebec and experiencing seasons that arrive and depart with such sharp clarity that I began to understand the deeper wisdom in those words.
I then realized that my parents’ words were a blueprint for maintaining our health and staying in harmony with nature.
Cherry season in Quebec lasts only a few weeks, usually from late June to…
