From John Fulkerson: Thin Lines: A Vineyard Journey
Never did sun more beautifully steep
In his first splendor, valley, rock, or hill;
Ne’er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!
wrote William Wordsworth in Composed upon Westminster Bridge (1802). As he considered the “beauty of the morning” one day in London, his words sang of the harmony found upon viewing the “fields and sky all bright and glittering in the smokeless air.”
What is this allure, this mystery and beauty we feel in Nature? Could it be that we are “hard wired” to connect with the natural world? So often, we elevate ourselves away from our fundamental roots in it, which is unnatural. Our predecessors had to understand the world in which they lived in order to survive. Today, this has changed for most of us as we find a strong aesthetic sense of meaning when viewing and appreciating the beauty, balance and wonders of our natural world while trying to understand the vagaries of humanity in order to survive. Thus, today, fields, streams, gardens, oceans, mountains and landscapes provide refuge from the struggles of human daily living. Early experiences with Nature inevitably affect our abilities to appreciate the broad and pervasive enchantments of it.
Sustainability is inherent in a healthy, balanced natural world. The harmony of which William Wordsworth speaks resonates with balance, and balance only becomes possible upon overcoming its obstacles- survival of the fittest.
Grapevines are so good at overcoming adversity. They even tolerate lack of water surprisingly well as their roots extend far into the earth seeking critical nutrients and water. Grape vines reveal the resounding harmony, generosity and abundance of the planet on which we live.
The lush beauty we see upon viewing rows of powerful mature grapevines flowing before us may evoke a sense of wonder in which the power and bounty of nature become tangible.