Life Lessons from the (Wild) Berry Patch

When we went to pick strawberries for the first time we were told about the blackberries that grow wild along the roads.  I was happy to hear that they wouldn’t ripen until the end of August, and started watching to see where they were growing.  Which was almost everywhere.

Jenna and I went out to pick berries yesterday afternoon so that we could make a pie.  As I picked and picked, I realized that there were a lot of life lessons being taught to me right there beside the road.

The first lesson was that sometimes you have to stop and look for a while before you can truly see what is there.  Every time Jenna and I would move on to a new area I would think “well, there’s nothing here.” 

But then as my eyes adjusted and I widened my focus, there would be berries and more berries.

Sometimes there were berries that just weren’t ready yet.  There was nothing that we could do to rush them—they must be allowed to ripen in their own time before they can be enjoyed.

We saw many beautiful berries that were just out of reach.  Often these berries seemed bigger and more luscious than those that were right in front of us.  Maybe they were.  But while we were focused on what we couldn’t have, we were missing out on what we could have.

Picking wild blackberries isn’t a risk free proposition.  It is messy.

 

There are huge thorns everywhere just waiting to grab you and catch your clothes or scratch your skin.

Sometimes (even frequently!)  if you’re eating berries as you’re picking, you get a sour berry, sour enough to strip the enamel from your teeth.

Some might think the risks are too great and the benefits too small to make it worth it to pick the wild berries.  But the good berries are amazing, and when you pop one into your mouth and experience that burst of sweet and tangy flavor suddenly the work, scratches, and sour berries are all forgotten.

Finally, even though we were there to pick the berries, there were many other beautiful thing to see and appreciate.

 

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PS—if you eat wild blackberry pie for both breakfast and lunch, you should probably include some cheese as well…