It seems to me there are only two directions anyone can go in life, towards water or towards high ground. From these two vantage points a person can find almost anything they need: food, drink, shelter, company, clarity, vision, repose. Roos know it, sheep know it, birds, insects, even the rain all know it. If there’s deliverance to be had here on earth, you won’t go wrong in finding it if you know which of the two you are heading towards. That’s my advice, that’s what I can offer. Of course, strictly speaking, water and mountain aren’t always opposite directions. You can find bodies of water settled high at the crests of hills or gathered at the foot of a mountain. You can see water cascade over cliffs and roll through ranges. But either way, if you know which one you need, you can find it.

You see I lived a long time here not knowing this. Would you believe I owned land that had both small mountains and natural rivers and visited neither for 15 years? Perhaps you wouldn’t, perhaps you would, but your answer would say a lot to me about the kind of man or woman you are. I can tell you, we all surprise ourselves sometime. At one stage or another we get shockingly disappointed in ourselves, everyone. And it’s no good, that stage. You just leave that feeling alone, just keep going; when you get the direction, once you know it, you don’t stop for all the guilt in the world. I guess that’s why I’m speaking today; I guess that’s why we try to help other people. It’s like we’re talking to that little self that failed, just before he knew what failure was. But maybe we should just let it be.