I heard a random story about shepherds in Australia the other day. This guy was saying that because the place is pretty dry, he doesn’t need to use a fence to keep the sheep in one place. He just digs a good well and they don’t go very far from the water.
The image has really stuck with me.
At first I thought the metaphor is pretty clear. What wells do I hang around? I’m liking running, is that a well? Or is the alone time the well? What’s the thing that is really feeding me? What is the thing I really need? Is the running the well and the alone time is the water? Have I been chasing some mirages?
I suppose all metaphors breakdown eventually. It’s enough if it gets me into fruitful thinking. This one has.
I like the notion of organizing myself around good sources of energy rather than behavior proscriptions. Jesus got into a conversation once where the woman was surprised (maybe concerned?) by the way Jesus was spurning behavior that was proscribed: Jewish men speaking with Samaritan women alone or proper worship practice. He was worried about her source of life.
What water are you drinking these days?
terazzo, coffee, and kids 