“Between wealth and grinding poverty, who now chooses no more than material sufficiency in order to pursue something personally satisfying – craft, art, cooking, music, farming? How many (people) have a powerful private vision that would sustain them through decades of living on merely adequate means? I suppose some people do, but it’s not held up as a desirable end, and I guess youthful poverty is regarded as temporary, something to endure until fortune comes along. I read recently in the Sunday Times magazine, “Obscurity is the new poverty.” I tend to think that anonymity is freedom.”
Edward Behr, in the 20th anniversary edition of “The Art of Eating”
Me too. I think the anonymity that many use in blogging gives them a lot more freedom to say what they really feel. Even though I’m pretty outspoken, I do rein myself in here at times. This paragraph struck me most strongly though for what it really says about pursuing our dreams, doing what we enjoy most passionately. I’m sitting here today with my now three golden retrievers, still dreaming of the Golden Ranch someday and raising service dogs, but now, for the first time in ages, really happy with where I’m at. The long term view is still there, but I’m not anxious about it, since I feel like I’m here at the first steps, with a puppy, ready to take him to training, to meet the people I can learn from about this whole raising puppies and breeding and training thing, about really working with both dogs and people to find good matches and let these wonderful animals provide the services they so want to give.
I watch my new little guy trying to please us, making his mistakes but so, so eager – and my older dogs, looking on patiently, every once in a while wagging their tails and seeming to smile inwardly, as if remembering when they were little. I don’t know much of their history since they are rescues, but, when I see them look at the crate, watch the puppy as he’s being taught, patiently give up their own toys or sticks for him to play with and chew on, it seems as if they’re saying, “Ah yes, I remember that! Well, he’ll learn…”
How many of us these days are willing to learn to make an art of anything, much less make an art of our entire lives. For that is the real secret, not what you are doing or how you live but the attention paid to it, the mindfulness of your life and awareness of its purpose. To walk your path proudly and thoughtfully is a rare thing indeed today.
2 Responses
Raising bread from starter is a good metaphor for a way to live.
Between wealth and grinding poverty, who now chooses no more than material sufficiency in order to pursue something personally satisfying – craft, art, cooking, music, farming? How many (people) have a powerful private vision that would sustain them through decades of living on merely adequate means?
Actually, quite a few in my neck o’ the woods. And I’ll bet there are many more than Behr has any idea of. He’s right that the collective doesn’t value this, but then the collective is insane.