Friday, May 12, 2017
Non-literal Emerson
Made a sort of Emersonian decision today. Back in midwinter I was trying to maintain gumption. I formed the idea of planting some barley in the yard after all the snow was gone, as a symbol of self-sufficiency or something.
Now the snow is gone, the gumption pulled me through, and the only thing I want to do with the yard is mow it. Just keep it respectable and legal.
Emerson talks about tilling your own soil, but he doesn't mean it literally; he means cultivating your own skills and using them to best account.
Gardening is NOT one of my skills. I did some serious yard work in 2011, cleaning up years of pine crap and replanting grass. The result of the CLEANING was good, but the grass didn't grow. Gardening is not my skill, not my contribution to self-sufficiency.
Electronics IS my skill. Been doing it since I was 9, and always enjoy the DOING as well as the result. The result is (mostly) successful and useful.
So today I threw away the seeds and the spade. Keeping something that won't get used is hoarding, not storage.
¶ 11:34 PM 
So today I threw away the seeds and the spade. Keeping something that won't get used is hoarding, not storage.
¶ 11:34 PM
