Sam, this is good and very relatable. By coincidence, our community farm has fig trees and I see our volunteer fig keeper doing the cutting just like you described. On top of it, he is x West Pointer; military doing the cutting!? I’m supposed to do pruning the bottom tomato suckers and I feel bad doing that. It pushes the energy to the top for bigger fruit. Again, Mother Nature is teaching us how to live. How much do we really need.
He is putting that solid West Point training to use. Thank you Barry, I'm stoked it resonated. My sense is an entire life could be spent puttering around a garden and it would not be wasted.
This was a good perspective change for me! And also a validating read, because sometimes when I spend too much time around some people in my life I feel like I am crazy or weird for catastrophizing, contemplating the end of the world or simply weird shit happening. I see it in a similar way as the Stoics described "Premeditatio Malorum", let them come, I'll be ready!
And lastly, it's interesting to think about mindset shifts and perspectives regarding this single phrase of "I feel fine", because for some people it's automatically denial which will lead to a downward spiral and a crash, but for others it's empowering, or at least a method of clinging to agency.
Let them come—absolutely. They will come whether we want them to or not.
I like your riff on the two responses to denial. My first intuition is that it depends on the context. If it is the worst case scenario, it is the best life sustaining option. If we are not in the worst case scenario, and we have time to reflect and contemplate, it probably isn't best unless that contemplation turns into rumination. My sense is this is the joy of "knowing thyself."
Great insights! Cut deep, it's amazing how thick the superficial really is. Diving, like I did freediving, was crazy learning what your body could go through! I can't imagine the levels you've done.
Your theme of cutting away and the pain it causes hit home Sam. After losing it all in the wildfire, there was definitely both, but in some ways it was also freeing - to no longer be burdened by so much stuff. A strange realization. Definitely a growing experience. I’m glad you’ve reached a balance with the impacts food, etc has on you. It must have been quite a trial!
That is truly tragic, a true test. Thank you Laura. It was a trial, but I have friends with far worse ailments after their time. I am beyond grateful for all of it.
Damn, I'll keep "I feel fine" in mind. Those are THE moments. And I like your example. A core force that drives me is having experiences where we have the opportunity to panic, then center ourselves (and how cool it is to develop that with training). The other night I had a moment like that during a fire training- on air, pulling hose to 2nd floor- heart beat screaming. No other option than to settle and bring that breath and focus back. As we move through life, the common goal often appears to be stability and avoidance of such tribulations, which is a shame since it denies us the feeling of life.
Profound and moving, Sam. We need so much less than we might believe. The ancients and primitives were right. We have to eat to live and make meaning of our existence. More than that and we become slaves to possessions. What a journey in which even eating became toxic to your body. I get that. Let us learn to prune ourselves for new growth.
Sure did…will be doing some cutting immediately for the new month ahead… will report back once some action has been taken. I feel fine enough I guess… considering everything’s a 'mess'. But I am with you.
You sure have a way of making a guy think. I really enjoyed that… re-read the ending several times. These days, almost nothing goes more against the grain than cutting. Thanks for reminding… for demonstrating… for the ultimate gift of nevertheless feeling fine. I look up to you good brother... you have both strength and sense.
Sam, sometimes we just need to start back at base zero and work our way back. We may not know where that is but it is probably better place. My immune issues are not as bad as yours. Thank goodness. You have amazing resilience and stamina.
It is a trial. And it is also astounding how different it can be person to person. I'm sorry you're going through it, but it sounds like you are finding the beauty in the trial as well. Thanks, Jenn.
“Therefore each day becomes an arena of introspection and adventure” that is more the hope than the reality for most. Would that most days could be like that.
I think I detect a whiff of the “ascetic” in this fine essay, Sam. Asceticism, (from Greek askeō: "to exercise," or "to train"), the practice of the denial of physical or psychological desires in order to attain a spiritual ideal or goal. Buddha tried a severe form of renunciation and found it to be a dead end. Your great point is that cutting away promotes blooming, in figs and people. Sweet!
Beautifully said, Baird. Ever since I read Herman Hesse's Siddhartha I have loved the ascetic path. You're probably right here. That vein becomes more pronounced as time goes on.
While pruning the blueberries earlier in the season I remarked that we were making difficult decisions for the plants. The farmer I study under pointed out that most cultivated fruiting perennials will grow unhealthy and die off if neglected and unpruned. Cutting away is a necessity.
This speaks to the hand of man shaping many of these plants over centuries or millennia. They die without us, and to an extent, if things get bad enough, we die without them. It is poetic. Thanks, Matthew.
Kind of reminds of the movie The Jerk. It's not a deep movie, but it makes a point. In a very sophomoric way, the movie emphasizes the fault in trying to define yourself in terms of accumulating stuff and in seeking acceptance from others.
Sam, this is good and very relatable. By coincidence, our community farm has fig trees and I see our volunteer fig keeper doing the cutting just like you described. On top of it, he is x West Pointer; military doing the cutting!? I’m supposed to do pruning the bottom tomato suckers and I feel bad doing that. It pushes the energy to the top for bigger fruit. Again, Mother Nature is teaching us how to live. How much do we really need.
He is putting that solid West Point training to use. Thank you Barry, I'm stoked it resonated. My sense is an entire life could be spent puttering around a garden and it would not be wasted.
Especially, if as you suggested, civilization should crumble.
This was a good perspective change for me! And also a validating read, because sometimes when I spend too much time around some people in my life I feel like I am crazy or weird for catastrophizing, contemplating the end of the world or simply weird shit happening. I see it in a similar way as the Stoics described "Premeditatio Malorum", let them come, I'll be ready!
And lastly, it's interesting to think about mindset shifts and perspectives regarding this single phrase of "I feel fine", because for some people it's automatically denial which will lead to a downward spiral and a crash, but for others it's empowering, or at least a method of clinging to agency.
Let them come—absolutely. They will come whether we want them to or not.
I like your riff on the two responses to denial. My first intuition is that it depends on the context. If it is the worst case scenario, it is the best life sustaining option. If we are not in the worst case scenario, and we have time to reflect and contemplate, it probably isn't best unless that contemplation turns into rumination. My sense is this is the joy of "knowing thyself."
I wonder if we will ever fully know ourselves in the first place! That's a journey I'm curious to explore.
Great insights! Cut deep, it's amazing how thick the superficial really is. Diving, like I did freediving, was crazy learning what your body could go through! I can't imagine the levels you've done.
It's wild, there are many different ways to get that deep as well. I appreciate it, Michael. I hope to give free diving a shot here soon.
Work on your breath tables first!
Your theme of cutting away and the pain it causes hit home Sam. After losing it all in the wildfire, there was definitely both, but in some ways it was also freeing - to no longer be burdened by so much stuff. A strange realization. Definitely a growing experience. I’m glad you’ve reached a balance with the impacts food, etc has on you. It must have been quite a trial!
That is truly tragic, a true test. Thank you Laura. It was a trial, but I have friends with far worse ailments after their time. I am beyond grateful for all of it.
Love the pruning metaphor. So useful.
It’s the stuff of life. These aggressive little trees have taught me much.
Damn, I'll keep "I feel fine" in mind. Those are THE moments. And I like your example. A core force that drives me is having experiences where we have the opportunity to panic, then center ourselves (and how cool it is to develop that with training). The other night I had a moment like that during a fire training- on air, pulling hose to 2nd floor- heart beat screaming. No other option than to settle and bring that breath and focus back. As we move through life, the common goal often appears to be stability and avoidance of such tribulations, which is a shame since it denies us the feeling of life.
You’re still in the thick of it with firefighting. I dig this, Jesse. Thank you for sharing.
Profound and moving, Sam. We need so much less than we might believe. The ancients and primitives were right. We have to eat to live and make meaning of our existence. More than that and we become slaves to possessions. What a journey in which even eating became toxic to your body. I get that. Let us learn to prune ourselves for new growth.
Let's go, Anthony. It makes of life an adventure.
Sure did…will be doing some cutting immediately for the new month ahead… will report back once some action has been taken. I feel fine enough I guess… considering everything’s a 'mess'. But I am with you.
You sure have a way of making a guy think. I really enjoyed that… re-read the ending several times. These days, almost nothing goes more against the grain than cutting. Thanks for reminding… for demonstrating… for the ultimate gift of nevertheless feeling fine. I look up to you good brother... you have both strength and sense.
I appreciate it, Kai. I'm grateful you got something out of it. Let's feel more than fine...
Sam, sometimes we just need to start back at base zero and work our way back. We may not know where that is but it is probably better place. My immune issues are not as bad as yours. Thank goodness. You have amazing resilience and stamina.
It is a trial. And it is also astounding how different it can be person to person. I'm sorry you're going through it, but it sounds like you are finding the beauty in the trial as well. Thanks, Jenn.
“Therefore each day becomes an arena of introspection and adventure” that is more the hope than the reality for most. Would that most days could be like that.
It's got to be stoked deliberately, which I know you know well, Marshall. It may come down to being able to lead a horse to water, but...
Therefore each day becomes an arena of introspection and adventure
I think I detect a whiff of the “ascetic” in this fine essay, Sam. Asceticism, (from Greek askeō: "to exercise," or "to train"), the practice of the denial of physical or psychological desires in order to attain a spiritual ideal or goal. Buddha tried a severe form of renunciation and found it to be a dead end. Your great point is that cutting away promotes blooming, in figs and people. Sweet!
Beautifully said, Baird. Ever since I read Herman Hesse's Siddhartha I have loved the ascetic path. You're probably right here. That vein becomes more pronounced as time goes on.
More pronounced indeed. Time as the great scythe/pruning hook!
While pruning the blueberries earlier in the season I remarked that we were making difficult decisions for the plants. The farmer I study under pointed out that most cultivated fruiting perennials will grow unhealthy and die off if neglected and unpruned. Cutting away is a necessity.
This speaks to the hand of man shaping many of these plants over centuries or millennia. They die without us, and to an extent, if things get bad enough, we die without them. It is poetic. Thanks, Matthew.
Kind of reminds of the movie The Jerk. It's not a deep movie, but it makes a point. In a very sophomoric way, the movie emphasizes the fault in trying to define yourself in terms of accumulating stuff and in seeking acceptance from others.
I have never even heard of this, I'll check it out!
It's hilarious, if nothing else. It's at the top of just about any list of comedy movies.
"I feel fine" is a great mantra for life.
Right. I want to tattoo it on my inner eyelids.