On vines and stress.
My status as a non-employed, non-working alien just hit the two-week mark.
My status as a non-employed, non-working alien just hit the two-week mark.
And it has been great. But at the same time, I can tell my system is missing something.
Structure. I guess…
Stress? I second guess.
And oddly enough, this got me thinking about wines. (Again?!.)
Yes. Again. Let me explain:
The most extraordinary wines are the result of stress. Vines that face just the right amount of adversity manage to create a drink that goes beyond fermentation and becomes EXPRESSION…
Expression of the land, the weather, the vine, and the people who shaped it.
I think there is something wise, beautiful even, behind the fact that the best wines derive from a vine that is stressed, from lack of water, extreme temperatures, arid soils, wind, putrefaction, and ice.
Could it be that my constant stressed-self is actually an attempt to produce my most extraordinary work? To find the means for utmost expression?
Maybe I am just trying to justify the fact that I tend to be constantly under pressure (there’s always something to stress about, right?) as the only way to get my carbon-y self transformed into shimmery, sparkling, GIA-worthy diamond. I know, comparing myself to a GIA-certified diamond might be a stretch. But isn’t that what we’re all secretly hoping for? That after the pressure, after the stress, we emerge cut, polished, and kind of irresistible?
But in all seriousness, great wines thrive with just the right amount of stress. Too little or too much, are equally harming. You might have all conditions set up for extraordinary wine, but if that year, it rains more than it should, or less than expected, then the wine will not be optimal.
And the same goes for me. Putting myself under too much stress, physically or mentally, does not derive in the results I expect. Instead of shiny, shimmery work, I get injured, burned-out unhappiness.
This brings me to something I’ve overlooked for too long: the importance of recovery.
Rest is super important. Vines go into a sort of hibernation after harvest. They literally go to sleep and wake up in the spring, ready for another cycle. That downtime is part of what allows them to thrive again.
And maybe this is the analogy I’ve been needing.
Maybe I should think of this time off from my career as dormancy. This time of reflection is only preparing me for another, more incredible cycle.
I realize there is a lot I can learn from vines. Rest isn’t the opposite of productivity. Reflection, rest, and recovery is just as important as pushing ourselves hard. It’s how we grow from the push.
Because in the end, the truth is nothing great comes from comfort zones. Changing the world requires some sort of stress, and if we want to create exquisite wines, the vines must fight for their lives. And I will be looking to thrive with just the right amount of stress. It's how we come up with our greatest work. It’s how we become our best version, shimmer and sparkling.
I need to start thinking of life in terms of cycles.