Collecting treasures along the way
Fruit-picking in Korea sparks my reflection on uncertainty, patience and learning to notice small treasures along the way.
This was written around 21 October 2025.
As the year winds down, we take stock, spend more time with family, and think about whatβs next.
For me, that means creating a little space to recalibrate. I spent part of my annual leave sweeping leaves and cleaning rocks, while my relatives picked an abundance of persimmons from a single tree.
It brings to mind these lines from To Autumn, where John Keats captured the season with such grace and beauty:
βSeason of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;β
In his letters, Keats once described something he called negative capability to his brothers: the ability to remain βin uncertainties, mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact and reason.β
So, for poets, a key quality is to stay open to mystery and possibility.
In modern terms, itβs what we might call comfort in ambiguity. But the caveat is not to rush to resolve it.
That is a different take from hustle culture, where excellence is often equated with achievement, and achievement is measured by grind and speed.
Maybe both excellence and achievement can grow from going slow and steady. Take Sungsimdang for example. The bakery started in Daejeon in 1956. Over the decades, it became one of South Koreaβs most iconic bakeries, valued for its quality and heritage.
By staying rooted and selective, it has not only achieved business success but also inspired a positive ripple effect among newer generations of entrepreneurs and bakers.
That had to take time. Just like baking!
After the fruit-picking was done, my uncle kept looking for more work.
I didnβt do much, but Iβm not used to gardening. So, I was already losing focus.
My aunt, who has a chill personality but had been quietly keeping pace, said, βYour uncle is more diligent. I have a slower personality.
"But going slow means you can collect treasures along the way too.β
By the way, that inspired the name of this space.
