How to Enjoy a Hayride

Autumn is hayride time

The hayride is one autumn tradition that is still going strong. It is a fun way to kick back, relax and immerse yourself--literally--in all that fall has to offer. One can take a horse and buggy or truck-driven hayride. Halloween is an especially grand time for this activity. It can be enjoyed by all ages, but children seem to delight in hayrides the most.

Instructions

1. Dress appropriately. Hayrides are not the best time to wear your Sunday best or even anything that is easily wrinkled, ripped or soiled. Throw on a pair of old jeans or other long pants, sneakers or cowboy boots. Put on a comfy T-shirt. Forego any jewelry or things of value. They may fall off and get lost. Bring a jacket in case it gets chilly.

2. Watch the kids in wonderment. Kids can go wild on hayrides. Enjoy the spectacle. You can have tons of fun, and you can even relive the amazement you perhaps once felt. There's simply something magical about being a kid on a wagon stuffed with hay. Hayrides are not a time to shush the children unless, of course, they start screaming, crying or throwing temper tantrums.

3. Sit back and relax. Don’t worry about the wagon wheels falling off, the economy or if it’s going to rain next Wednesday. Think only of the moment. Feel the hay beneath your body, the solid churn of the wheels and grab the hearty wagon wood. Deeply inhale all the smells, the fresh scent of autumn.

4. Expect to get itchy and dirty. No one gets off a hayride without experiencing some dust, muck or a little itchiness from the hay. If it really bothers you, bring a pillowcase along to sit on.

5. Participate. If people start singing, sing along. If someone starts telling spooky stories, oooh and ahhh along with the rest of them. To further enhance your living fully in the moment, you don’t get to be a mere spectator. You get to take part in the joy the experience is giving you. Please do.

Tips & Warnings

• Hayrides are not a good place for prima donnas or snobs.

• If you are bringing infants on a hayride, make sure they are properly secured in a holder or on your lap.

• Watch all kids carefully to make sure they don’t do anything stupid like stand up and fall off the wagon.