The ouch of blackberry picking is worth the yum of the pie

The ouch of blackberry picking is worth the yum of the pie

A scratched-up morning of picking wild blackberries leads to reflections on how sorrow and joy — like pain and pleasure — are never far apart.

By Greg Asimakoupoulos | FāVS News Columnist

The views expressed in this opinion column are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of FāVS News. 

It’s that time of year! The wild blackberries are everywhere in our neighborhood. My wife and I have an arrangement. I do the picking and Wendy bakes the pies.

Following my daily walk through our local forest preserve, I decided to take advantage of a cool morning and go picking. The bushes at the top of our lane were loaded. Finding a nearby container, I started in. Soon after being pricked by the thorns on the vines, I realized that I had forgotten to put on a long-sleeve shirt as I normally do. Ouch!

My arms bore witness to my lapse in memory. Both arms were scratched and bleeding. But because the temperature was getting warmer by the minute, I didn’t want to drive home and change clothes. I decided to just keep picking and endure the momentary discomfort. Within an hour, I had picked three quarts of beautiful berries.

Pain now, pleasure later

Later that night Wendy baked one of her amazing blackberry pies. As I ate a warm slice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, I once again was dealing with a memory issue. The yum that evening caused me to forget the ouch of the morning. And that foretaste of heaven set me to reflecting on the relationship between pain and pleasure and sadness and joy.

We all know the axiom “no pain, no gain” when it comes to getting into physical shape. I have experienced that reality on the treadmill and you likely have, too. In fact, I have an elderly cousin in Norway who touted the need to work out by saying, “You’ve got to plague your body before it plagues you.” In other words, the goal of getting the most out of life requires embracing and enduring the pain and sorrow you encounter along the way.

In addition to the shared task of picking berries and baking pies, Wendy and I have another shared routine. We read a book aloud after dinner. This month’s read has been one that even if you haven’t read it yourself, “Theo of Golden” by Allen Levi, is a parable of sorts. This inspirational work of fiction pictures the reality of both sadness and joy in our world.

The protagonist of the story is an elderly man by the name of Theo whose mission in the winter season of his life is to bring the fragrance and new life of spring to strangers he meets. In one poignant conversation, Theo addresses the truth of which I was reminded in the blackberry bush.

“My expertise in sadness is hard-earned. But I realize more and more that it is a gift…It is another of life’s great mysteries that sadness and joy can coexist so compatibly with one another. In fact, I wonder if, on this side of heaven either one can be complete without the other.”

I will refrain from saying any more, in the event that you haven’t as yet read the book. But even without reading it, you can attest to the fact that sorrow often precedes the joy we experience as people of faith. The Hebrew psalmist made note of the fact that “weeping may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning.”

The yum is worth the ouch

And even when the scars of blackberry picking remain, the yum of the pie more than compensates for the pain of the pursuit. That reality helps to differentiate between happiness and joy. Happiness, as the etymology of the word suggests, is a positive emotion based on something good that has happened. Joy, on the other hand, is an inner awareness of contentment and gratitude in the midst of life’s disappointments. We can experience joy even when hardships result in heartaches.

So next time you find yourself picking blackberries, remember that the yum to come is worth the current ouch. And the same is true when it comes to anticipating what God has in store once our journey in this broken world is over.

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