We collect wine at Bogdan Trojak’s!
Aikido is also work in the vineyard, we agreed with our youngsters. One Saturday in October, we enjoyed the fresh air while picking grapes on the hill above Žernoseky, where Bogdan Trojak has a vineyard and we sometimes help him out.
We woke up early in the morning and arrived at the place in the morning fog. We couldn’t see even a few meters, almost by touch we were picking and cutting the tassels, our fingers wet from the cold dew. Then the sun began to appear and the wind freed the river and surrounding hills from the morning haze. The buzzing of bees permeated the midday heat and our fingers were sticky with grape juice. We proudly carried crates full of grapes up the hill to the vineyard house, as if we were gold miners bringing crates of gold out of the mine. And the reward was the taste of fresh cider as the berries were ground.
When the work was done, we sat over the vineyard, watching the sunset, eating meat roasted on the fire and washing it down with last year’s wine from the same hillside.
We had a sensual feeling of satisfaction and fulfillment from a day well spent.
And in that moment, we agreed with the young aikidists that working in the vineyard is aikido too.
