Nuts!
I love acorns. Always have.
Now the Native Americans used to make a kind of “acorn butter” that was similar to what we know as peanut butter. Just because acorns are edible does not mean they are any good–they’re very bitter. That’s not what I love about acorns.
To me, an acorn is a wonderful symbol:
- It is a harbinger of fall
- It is a symbol of God’s provision and ongoing concern for his creation (oak trees, incidentally, grow very slowly and deliberately, and are about as unlike our western culture as they can be).
- They contain innumerable forests yet unseen
- Artistically, they are beautiful. They have whimsy (a nut in a knit cap), tactile appeal (both smooth and rough), beauty (perfect balance), and visual appeal (the ripe acorn is an unspeakably rich color, so often overlooked, and the not-quite-green-not-quite-brown before it is fully ripe is striking)
I don’t take acorns for granted. Like a four-year-old kid seized by the wonder of creation, my first impulse is to gather the ones that have fallen to the ground.
There’s no leadership moral here, just the quiet reminder that we all need moments of beauty in our lives. Pay attention to what captivates you–what turns you into that enthusiastic four-year-old. And if you take yourself too seriously for all that: Stop it. Go get some acorns.