Читать книгу The Vinedresser's Notebook - Judith Sutera - Страница 13

ANYTHING OF VALUE IN OUR LIVES probably requires some advanced planning and some sense of both short-term action steps and long-term goals. Of course, there do have to be some small pleasures and achievements along the way if we are not to become disheartened. At the same time, these small pleasures need to be in service to a broader plan and not mere random moments. It’s a tricky balance. If I’m always denying myself any satisfaction in the moment, I’ll be pretty miserable when, and if, I get to the long-range goal. If I flit about with small goals only, I might know momentary joy but end up aimless and unsatisfied.

I can remember the careful storage of all that change I accumulated as a child and the growing stack of single dollar bills from birthday cards or extra chores that would slowly lead to enough for the big-ticket item I dreamed about. I can also remember the reluctance to let go of that “here and now” treat and the even greater reluctance to put some of my hard-earned savings into the basket at church or the collection at school for the poor.

Appreciating the value of planning ahead is tough but necessary.

Just as we put money in the bank for a rainy day, we have to think about what we are storing within ourselves for the hard times or the long-term benefit. A little bit of self-control or spiritual discipline will add up in the reserve that prepares me for life’s challenges. Small efforts to be more kind or generous build up until I have a storehouse of patience and love from which I can draw. Doing the next right thing moves me in the direction of a peaceful life. If one has a faith tradition that stresses an eternal reward, there is the added hope of the most important goal toward which one moves. Faith traditions teach us also that each small act is important in moving either nearer or farther from that reward.

A vine that has only top growth will eventually use up all of the potential for fruit-bearing that those branches can provide. Something has to be deep at the source and continuing to push out from that reserve. If there are no new buds to take the place of those that have been spent, there will be nothing left but a woody trunk that will play itself out and die. If we do not have a vision of a future we really desire, there is not much incentive to forego any pleasure or ego gratification. We need a long-term goal for life. Otherwise, one may have it all, and have it now, but then what?