The school year ended yesterday but there was no sleeping in today. I was up with the sunrise, grabbing my small cooler then I was out the door to waiting friends. We walked briskly because it was made clear, “Five minutes early was five minutes late.” As we arrived at the high school we joined in with the swarm of kids getting onto the school bus.
There was a surprising amount energy for the hour of the day…but then again it was filled with middle school kids. Or maybe it was because many of us had waited for this day when at the end of our 6th grade year we were now finally able to join the ranks of our siblings and older neighbors who had gone before us.
The bus wound its way through the streets of our small town and soon moved into the country side. Pastures filled with livestock, and farms in the early days of what would become a bounty of wheat, corn, grapes and hops surrounded us on every side. Then climbing to a small bluff our destiny came into view…acres and acres and acres of cherry trees.
Jumping off the bus we were met by high school kids who were fully embracing their roll as crew bosses. They barked out instructions only a decibel or two below a drill Sargent: how to pick, where to place our full buckets, ladder safety, and absolutely no throwing cherries at each other! And with that we were off to begin picking.
Ker-plunk, ker-plunk, ker-plunk…one cherry at a time all of us newbies dropped our cherries into our buckets. And then after an hour with not even a full bucket I noticed multiple full buckets two trees over. As I walked over I looked and could not believe what I was seeing. There was a high school kid, limb under is arm picking cherries in rapid fire. As he climbed down from the ladder with yet another full bucket he looked at my bewildered self and said, “The more you pick, the more money you make. I’ll show you a couple tricks and then you’re on your own.”
While I never became as productive as my cherry picking mentor the experience did serve as a significant seed-planting learning about intentionality of engagement. As leadership expert Paul J. Meyers offers, “Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort.”
Most folks I know struggle with the culture of busyness. Endless tasks with less than needed time to complete them. There is a clear difference between being busy and actually being productive. As Socrates said, “Beware the barrenness of a busy life.” Being productive is about using the gifts we have to accomplish the things we feel called to do. At its core it is about being a good steward of our time and talent.
Source of life and blessing,
of garden, orchard, field,
root us in obedience to you
and nourish us by your ever-flowing Spirit
that, perceiving only the good we might do,
our lives may be fruitful,
our labor productive,
and our service useful.
Daily Prayer for All Seasons