Traditions of the Personal Persuasion

I once said to a young pupil of mine, “Trevor, if you retain one thing that I’ve told you, let it be the importance of having personal traditions.”  I said this during a text message conversation as I was driving back into Thurston on the McKenzie Highway.  It was a crisp, sunny fall day, and I had just made my annual pilgrimage to Herrick Farms for a jug of their apple cider.  It is honestly the best cider I’ve ever had.  I began this making this trip almost 6 years ago, shortly after I got my driver’s license.

The journey begins at the intersection of Marcola and Camp Creek Roads, where I cruise the snake-like road along the river taking in the changing trees, the sound of the rushing water, and the smell of the autumn leaves.  I end up next to Ray’s supermarket at Walterville and tourne a droite.  I then travel the half-mile or so to Millican Road and turn right again and follow the quaint little lane past the firehouse to the gravel parking lot at Herrick’s.  I have finally reached my destination.  But is it really my destination?   The trip as a whole is my purpose for the hour or so spent in transit.  Herrick’s is just a stop along the way, a necessary part of the whole.  If the farm is out of cider or closed for some reason, I make the trip all over again on another day.  It is a well-spent $6.95 when I finally pop the red lid off and take a few long draughts of the cold cider.  I save the rest to put in my refrigerator when I get home.  The last leg of the drive takes me over Hendrick’s Bridge and along the McKenzie Highway into Thurston, the part of Springfield where I grew up.

This jaunt upriver every year is the recurring highlight of the season for me.  It represents the pinnacle of fall, the time when the season is at its best.  It gives me something to look forward to each year, even if life in general isn’t going ideally at the time.  It is a time for me to think my thoughts, sing along terribly to the radio, and just enjoy the unfathomable beauty that nature offers.  This is my yearly tradition, one of many that I hope to create over the course of my life.

Amazing amounts of importance are placed on traditions involving family and friends.  I completely support these types of tradition.  However, I feel that we don’t know who we truly are until we discover what we choose to do month after month or year after year on our own, what gives us joy over and over again without directly involving others.  Personal tradition gives each and every one of us the ability to escape from everything else and focus on one completely intimate experience, an experience that reflects our deepest and most powerful passions.  More than just about anything, I recommend creating your own personal traditions.  You won’t regret it.