C’est La Vie
If you traversed the heart and mind of a travel-lover I'm positive you'd encounter the same conditions that afflict the wine lover: desire for adventure, a willingness to dive into the unknown and even a proclivity to absorb disappointment and move on. I'm sure of this.
On my recent travels I drank not a single sip of wine in any form. Had I wanted to it was available, but the climate, both meteorological and spiritual, wasn't entirely suited for that kind of adventure. Still, I embarked with a particular adventure in mind under conditions that were unknown and, as I look back now from the comfort of my home and as I type and think, I'm still absorbing disappointment, but I'm moving on.
The upshot of these travels remind me of the feeling of disappointment one gets when they open that fine dessert wine after having consumed way too much in advance, leaving its charms and potential inaccessible due entirely to my own poor judgment in choosing to open it at this inopportune moment when my body and mind are incapable of appreciating what is in front of me.
C'est la vie, right? There will be other dessert wines and they will even be reached for and experienced at the perfect moment when mind and body are ready for them.
Well, yes…and no.
As it is with wine and romance, the joy that comes with travel flows in direct proportion to the expectations we heap upon it. More importantly and again as it is with wine and romance, the judgment that informs our expectations for travel can't be clouded by self-deception, early childhood trauma, ill-founded optimism or the belief that doing the same thing might result in different outcomes.
So, there may be other dessert wines, other travels, other romances, and they may please the palate, the heart and the mind, but not if they are not properly prepared for or even approached with proper and well-founded expectations.
Welcome back, Tom.
I have read that sweets at the end of the meals sends a signal to the brain that the meal is finished. Perhaps the same can be said of dessert wines.
Tom, your thoughts seem to be like the photo of the post. Profound words… I hope you make peace with the wine.
Welcome home Tom, though by reading your post, you didn’t seem to purge yourself of the melancholy.
I mean, it’s not like I expect you to be all gushy and syrupy, but upbeat would be nice, perhaps.
Oh well, the weather in Sonoma Valley is wonderful (not too hot, not too cool), there’s always “Jazz Plus” to take in at the Depot, and there’s Wine Biz Radio episodes to be listened to.
Have a great holiday buddy, hope to see you soon.
Randy,
It is beautiful here, back home. And I’ll gush. There’s a great deal to gush over. Just you wait.
Were there more Jazz and less “Plus” I”d be impressed. So, I’m content to listen to WineBizRadio.
Hmm. Tom, your melancholy return post doesn’t quite fit your numerous images and captions posted during the trip.
It seems like something IS buggin’ you. Mid-life crisis? Man-o-pause? What is it?
“So, there may be other dessert wines, other travels, other romances, and they may please the palate, the heart and the mind, but not if they are not properly prepared for or even approached with proper and well-founded expectations.”
Sounds like you might be a candidate for the Jerry Brown “less is more” school of thinking.
Dude. No worries. It’s because you weren’t with me.
Next time. 😉