Friday, December 31, 2010

A Rare Find


 
The old adage that inspiration can be found anywhere is quite true. A bottle of wine, a gift from our good friends Fred & Mariam, provided a great reminder of that wisdom this week. Now, finding inspiration in wine dates back to Antiquity and is nothing new, but finding such inspiration literally on the bottle itself is a whole different story. This is what we found:

The wine was out-of-this-world good (a cuvee called "The Offering", 2008, produced by Sans Liege Wines from Santa Barbara, California -- and not surprisingly, Sold Out at this point). But what took our breath away was the philosophy of the wine maker, Curt Schalchlin, printed in unassuming font besides the label:

"I am free to make the wine of my choosing because I follow no one. Traveling light, all I need is carried inside: a pure heart, a clear mind, and an old soul. Though the sky is dark and the way is lost, with each footstep there is insight; with each breath, resolve." 
                                                                                        -Curt Schalchlin

We would have missed these wonderful insights and inspiring words if my wife had not taken the time to carefully examine the bottle. Inspiration is all around us, as long as we take the time to look.

Wishing Curt and all of you continued inspiration, insight, resolve, clarity of mind and purity of heart in the year to come.

Happy 2011!