Live Your Life Like You Drink Your Wine

One of the things that bothers me most is people that put artificial barriers on the wines they drink.  It makes me cringe when I hear people say “I only drink reds” or “I only drink whites” or “I only drink Napa Cabernet”.  “You big dummies”, I think to myself, “you are missing out on so much good stuff and great experiences by limiting yourself”.   

I recently realized that I am missing out by not taking the same approach to life that I take to wine.

I recently flew back home for the funeral of my cousins wife.  A wonderful person whose loss was a major blow to my cousin and their son.  I wanted to be there to offer whatever comfort I could.  Following the funeral we were all invited to lunch at a nearby restaurant.  

As happens at weddings and funerals folks that don’t see each other that often get a chance to reunite.  It was open seating and I found myself sitting with a group of people that I had seen several times in my life but I had never taken them time to get to know.  I am first generation american and was born a year or so after my parents arrived from Sicily.  The majority of people attending were born in Sicily and most  were at least 6 or more years older than me.  Growing up I was always the youngest, and always the most Americanized.  I always used my age and the fact that I was less ethnic than they were as an excuse to shy away from them.  Consequently I knew a lot of people but I really never got to know them.  Because of that I was a bit uncomfortable sitting with my table mates and was a little worried about how to carry on a conversation.    

I did not feel uncomfortable for long.  These people treated me like I was one of their best friends and were genuinely happy to have me at their table. They told stories that were both heartwarming and funny, discussed serious issues from a well thought perspective, told me things about my parents and relatives I never knew in my 58 years of life,.  Their wisdom, intelligence, and depth of understanding on a variety of topics was impressive. I don’t remember ever having a more engaging, entertaining conversation.  After a while I opened up to them, was not afraid to be myself, and they seemed to enjoy me as much as I enjoyed them. After our final hugs and we said goodbye I remember thinking to myself “You big dummy why didn't you take advantage of the opportunity to get to know these people years earlier.  You have really missed out on a lot”.  

That's when it hit me that I should think about the people in my life like I think about wine.  

I have other people in my life that I shy away from and do not open up to.  I know folks that are more outdoorsy, intellectual, spiritual, more athletic.  I know this will be hard to believe I even have friends that know more about wine then I do. I’m a bit intimidated and am not always comfortable with these differences and use them as an excuse not to open up and get to know them better. Because of that both they and I are missing out. 

I can’t control what happened in the past but I can control what I do from this point forward.  And just like I want you to open yourself up to new wines and wines you are not comfortable around, I am going to work harder at getting to know new people as well as the folks already in my life that I am not comfortable around. The joy in discovering new and interesting things about the people in your life has to be one of the only things better then making a great new wine discovery. Lets you and I do a better job of experiencing both.