Let There be Light

Hello Future Fit Food fans,

Today is the Winter Solstice, and in the Northern Hemisphere, it's the shortest day of the year.

It is a winter wonderland in the rocky mountains, and we have been taking breaks from architecting the Future of Food to trek through the hills enjoying the crisp mountain air and the green hues of the pine trees now stark on every horizon.

We are grateful and fortunate to have easy access to the mountains' foothills, surrounded by bountiful nature and frequently spotted red fox and mule deer that share the trails with us.

We embrace the winter solstice after this very long and at times dark year, and the solstice is an opportunity to shed and let go of the past and look forward to embracing hope and the light that is to come as the days begin to get longer again.

It truly feels like the end of an era and the beginning of a well overdue new one—a serendipitous encounter with the light fading behind and shining the path ahead.

We notice how shades of light in the mountains have subtly changed on familiar trails creating new vistas and hues across the canyons and valleys below.

The Chinese concept of yin and yang is celebrated during this time. As the solstice passes, the darkness is balanced with the light.

In traditional Japan, Kabocha squash was eaten as other food was not available, but the winter squash.

In ancient Rome, the Winter Solstice was honored by the Saturnalia festival, which celebrated Saturn, the Roman god of agriculture. The hope was the growing season will begin soon as limited crops were available this time of year.

The solstice brings us a unique site this year in the night sky. Jupiter and Saturn will be the closest together than they have been in 800 years. A "superstar" will appear in the sky, another reason to be present and feel fortunate even with all of the significant challenges in 2020. We can all collectively observe this phenomenon from wherever we may be.

We find it fitting that the "stars will be aligned" as we are near the launch of our first Future Fit Foods product in 2021.

Auspicious maybe, daunting certainly.

Sean and Paloma