PRECARIOUS PATH

written by

Drausin Wulsin

posted on

October 17, 2014

PRECARIOUS PATH

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Worthy journeys carry risk, even those that have been underway for centuries.

This stunning scene from the Alps of Switzerland depicts fall migration from alpine meadows to valley barnyards. The careful movement of ten cows (with great bells around their necks!) is being tended to by three very alert shepherds, despite that this path has been traveled for hundreds of years. Slippery slopes and precipitous cliffs await the unaware. The father upfront appears to be calling back to the daughter in the middle, whose hand rests upon her favorite cow, while the hired man faithfully brings up the rear. The cows seem to feel safe, and a sense of trust emanates from this picture of man, beast, and precarious path, such that we feel certain they will arrive into the valley below.

I identity acutely with this scene, as Susan and I strive to raise and deliver life-affirming food to discerning customers, who are becoming partners. The well traveled capitalistic path is fraught with steep cliffs over which many tumble. But if we communicate clearly with partners, move carefully and deliberately ahead, keep our hands on that which matters, and follow-up faithfully, trust will arise and guide us to fruition. You are party to this journey and we can only arrive into the verdant valley by working closely with you.

On the path!

More from the blog

Sacred Place

It is a privilege to know a sacred place, as I feel I do. In some ways, it seems sacred places are supposed to be scarce and remote, like Stonehenge, Chartres Cathedral, the Taj Mahal, or abandoned Pueblo dwellings. Large landscapes, like the desert, ocean, or mountain ranges feel imbued with the divine. Alaska, the Amazon, and the Serengeti invite a sense of awe. One travels to such places, in pilgrimage. And sometimes such places reorganize the pilgrim's sense of order, inviting disorder or change, that can be both painful and uplifting.

Big Muddy

Here is the Lower Mississippi River, 45 feet below normal pool. Over Thanksgiving, Susan and I shoehorned ourselves onto a cruise ship to learn about the lower Mississippi and its bayou. We started in Memphis and ended up in New Orleans, with stops along the way to explore river towns. This river is the third longest on the planet, providing drainage to 40% of North America. It has historically deposited silt yearly in its floodplains, producing topsoil 120 feet deep, making these soils some of the richest in the world. Vast wetland forests grew beside its banks, of cypress, oaks, and sycamores, populated by a rich array of black bears, deer, bobcats, alligators, and aquatic life. This was the legendary bayou.

Streams & Souls

Streams and souls seem to share character. They are life-giving, they are coveted, they can be impeded, they can be channelized, they can be overwhelmed, they flood, they dry up, they flow downhill, they are a force of both change and constancy, they lie at the center of a community, they will not be denied, and because of this great complexity, they attract periodic resistance. So, it seems that streams may serve as a metaphor for the journey of the soul.