Contrary to my "Trekkin'" persona, I'm not much of a daredevil (seems like you'd almost have to be in order to be a dyed-in-the-wool Trekkie). Watching people do crazy things like bungee jumping, skydiving, and extreme thrill rides is as close as I'll ever get to actually participating. BUT...I do like to explore! Give me a new trail, timber, cave or mountain, and I am quick to lace up the boots, put on some comfortable clothes, and come back in a couple of hours (or days, if I can pull it off).
Thus, when we moved to a new farm as I turned a teenager (one that was rumored to be full of Indian artifacts), it didn't take me long at all to head off into the woods and across the fields on an artifact expedition. Now, 30+ years later, an ordinary looking box tucked away in our storage closet bears silent witness to the discoveries made on those journeys. If you were to peer inside this not-so-impervious vault of my own design, you'd find arrowheads, axeheads, scrapers, spear points, grinding stones, and an odd assortment of yet-to-be-classified treasures, borne as the fruit of my ventures on that farm. I've often dreamed of taking my own kids back out there some day for a little exploring of their own!
I had the opportunity just a week ago to drive past the old farmstead, taking literally miles of backroad gravels to our familiar place out in "the sticks." It was incredibly fun to point out to my kids all the locations and sites where I had worked...and played...so hard with friends and family. They had often heard me recount my artifact hunting and obviously, had seen the treasures in my worn out box. It was about time to actually show them the treasure-laden land first-hand.
As we came around the last bend in the road before our old farm, I was absolutely shocked by what I saw. No longer were there fertile fields, neatly manicured with orderly rows of what would soon be the Fall harvest. Instead, there were new homes built in several places (not shacks, either!) and hundreds of acres of only pasture - beautiful and green, but perfectly concealing the treasures laying hidden below the surface. You couldn't tell that they are there, but I knew they were!
I couldn't help but wonder if the new homeowners, with their finely trimmed lawns and quaint little horsebarns had any idea as to what lay just below the surface of their prized properties? Did they know what treasures lay just inches under their "Turfbuilder" yards and concretized driveways? I couldn't imagine that they did, or why would they not be looking for those treasures, discovering and sharing the joy of antiquities revealed?
While those acres of beautiful soil may never be turned again, and thus, maintain their treasures in silence for all eternity (which about drives me crazy!), I realized that as is so often the case, there was a great lesson in the whole trip. I found myself wondering how many people I had passed in my life, due to busyness, prejudice or self-centeredness...people who were full of hidden treasure that I never took the time to discover. How many missed joys, cherished memories and exciting adventures had I forfeited by not taking the time to do a little "digging" in their lives?
I may never again have the opportunity to find hidden treasure in open fields, but I certainly am given the opportunity to dig for, find and share the hidden treasures in the people around me...maybe even you. Want to go exploring with me? You can do it right where you're at by taking the time to discover the very next person you meet. I'd love to hear about your adventures! And if you ever want someone to join you, just drop me a line at necchurch@netins.net. Whether it's a person or a field we get to explore, the time will be well spent and the treasure well shared!
