Breezing Through the Wine Country

The weekend after the election the clouds melted away leaving the air clean and bright. My wife and I were still trying to open up to the possibility that the people had actually beaten back the tide of fascism for now and perhaps a long time to come.

The internet had served its purpose beautifully where mainstream media had largely failed and now big media had no choice but to play catch up. The investigations long suppressed were now beginning in earnest. We could breathe again. In the back of our heads a little ditty was playing incessantly. Ding dong the witch is dead. Hey, we can dream can’t we?

And there we were cruising through the gold and rouge colored vineyards of the Sonoma wine country on a gorgeous fall day excited to be visiting our old friends in their beautiful homemade home fed by spring water and sun power high in the coastal mountains of Cazadero.

We glimpse the Russian River sparkling below the shimmering yellow leaves of the Maples. We stop at the Korbel Vineyard Deli to get a cup of Joe just long enough for me to see a couple of highlights of the Cal/Arizona game on the TV over the bar. I’m happy to see the highlights are of two Cal touchdowns. Outside the deli Japanese tourists with the latest camera phones are taking pictures of the rununculas cascading down the old brick walls. God’s in Her heaven and all’s right with the world.
Soon we are veering off the Russian River Road past the llama farms and climbing up and up into the forests along Austen Creek. I see a buck foraging by the waters edge.

We are immersed in a wonderful moment. We know it’s temporary. We know that corporations still call the tune in this country. We know we’re far from out of the woods yet. And I know one’s mood shouldn’t be predicated on the outcome of a football game (Cal ended up losing the game, of course).

Only one thing is certain— change. It’s the quick or the dead in this life… “quick” meaning quick thinking. This being so, the universe seems to reward intelligence. If this condemns man to the disaster of his own selfish stupidity then so be it. But it also may mean that in the end we will be forced to adhere to thoughtful determination as opposed to blind brute force. So… expect a miracle but remain unattached to outcome.

It’s going to be a long fight that may not succeed. But in any guerilla war of attrition those that can draw sustenance from their environment will be the ones who endure. And so, despite knowing we are merely enjoying the peace that attends the eye of the storm, we take sustenance from that peace and let our gratitude bolster us for the challenges to come. We revel in this day, a dazzling proof that grace happens.

Note: Image is from picturethisgallery.com