Lesson #2 Do Something

“We may shrink a bit in the face of the vastness of the sea, but we can rely on the water being wet, on the ocean’s ability to hold up whatever floats, and on the wind pervading everywhere.”

- R.M. Rosenbaum

The essence of farming is making decisions in the face of uncertainty. No one knows exactly what will happen, no one knows exactly what has happened even after we’ve witnessed and measured it. Yet, we continue to move forward in the face of these daily challenges. Pay attention to the square corners, the things we can build off of and the rest will follow.

I am reminded of this quote frequently when facing my hardest decisions in life or in the field. It reminds me to ignore the noise as you plunge through adversity, either within yourself or by those around you. Stick to what you know to be true and you will emerge on the other side, safe. I learned an important lesson from a fellow viticulturist in 2011 that I have not forgot. He needed to shut down his plants in the vineyards to reach his canopy goals, so he quit watering and waited. And waited. And waited. For 5 weeks he struggled with himself and others that he was doing the right thing. Holding onto the fact, that if the plant needed water it would show it first in the canopy and surely he would see that before he made a mistake. Then finally he emerged to the other side and was stronger for it. I was lucky enough to have him tell me his story that summer. It is a cornerstone I routinely place.