Harvests

A friend has shared his experiences regarding study and examination priorities recently. I admit freely now, that I was similarly afflicted with single-mindedness. I too, studied Alchemy, though I abandoned it quickly enough, once I felt that I had sufficient knowledge for my purposes. Numeromancy I tolerated for two years, ere I cut myself free of that drudgery. It was Druidic Studies that consumed my nights and days, though I will be first to admit that I no longer apply what I have learnt at my present post.


Truly, many of my colleagues have wondered (aloud and loudly in my presence) why I had chosen that specialty to begin with. After all, I had long ago intended to return to my place here in the Watch, before I left for my studies. My answer has been, remains and in all probability will remain, that I had chosen thus for the sake of Art.

For clarity, I mean Art, not The Art. It is Leonardo, Rafello, Gaudi, Rembrandt, Edward Burne-Jones and their Brotherhood that has inspired me for most of my life. Music is a great comfort, of course, and food is a pleasure in itself. But the paintings, and other works, of these Masters that make my heart beat a little faster, make my breath catch in my throat, and bring a tear to my eye. Once I sought to join their ranks, but I have learnt that this ambition far, far outstripped what meagre talent I possessed. Nevertheless, I have knelt for four years, as the Indigo Girls have sung, prostrating myself to the higher mind, though certainly not for the sake of that singular piece of paper. At least, that had not been my primary purpose.

Some have argued that I should have studied Art then, rather than the Mysteries of the Druids, had I been so enamoured with it. Yet, I knew myself better than most men know themselves, even at a young age. To force deadlines and regular peformance upon myself was to slowly but surely erode what love or interest I had in any particular subject. I enjoyed my small triumphs and lofty goals in that field to impose any regiment upon it. Hence I chose something else:

Druidic Studies involved some practices that border upon necromancy, but this same discipline allowed me to gain much knowledge regarding the structure of the bodies of animals, and in relation, understand the corresponding bits and pieces of Man. While I was strongly attracted to this, I came to find myself fascinated with plants, how they related to their environment, and how did they produce growth using naught but air and water? My quest for this knowledge came upon me quietly, and quite by surprise. After all, most of my time had been spent in drawing small but detailed diagrams of common, and not so common plants, that exist upon this isle, and learning to differentiate them. A chance to practice my art, at least. This practice also gave rise to other chances, in another sense: a great many acquaintances learned of my skill and took pains to borrow my diagrams to make copies. I like to think that I loaned them out regardless of fear or favour, but the truth was that more women than men borrowed my work. My wife, indeed, was one of those who approached me with greater frequency than others.

Our courtship was a cautious thing: I was not certain if she was merely be friendly because of my art, or was my art merely an excuse for her to become more friendly. I was young, of course, and the difference made a difference to me then. Were I able to give advice to my younger self, I would have told me to get over it, and just enjoy the moment. And her company, of course!

Looking at it all, one might say that the harvest that I received for my efforts did not disappoint:

Primus: I got my paper, which mattered to my family and helped to open doors where I was employed. It was not so much what one studied, but that one had studied, after all. The Service has a mysterious and convoluted logic in its hiring methods, no doubt a result of its equally complex and somewhat inscrutable history. (One can often learn what took place and how it took place, but not exactly why it took place that way.)

Secundus: I gained the perspective that I so greatly desired. My art improved because of it, I like to think. Ironic, of course, that I seldom have the time to pick up my brushes. I have learned to differentiate between good and great art, particularly in popular cultural works from the Empire of the Sun, the Fragrant Harbour and parts of the Middle Kingdom. It has enriched my life, if naught else.

Tertius: I have gained the company of a lovely woman, who has, in greater or lesser portions, tolerated my eccentricities over the past decade (more if you count our courtship), and borne me a lovely daughter. A more obstinate, mischievous and happy child I have not seen. But not a great surprise, when I consider my own childhood, and that of my wife.

A bountiful harvest indeed.