HOW’S YOUR “TERROIR”?
The word is “terroir” (ter-war) not terror—keep your terrors to yourself. Terroir is defined as “the environmental conditions, especially soil and climate, in which grapes are grown and that give a wine its unique flavor and aroma.” Napa has a different terroir than Sonoma. Different vineyards have different terroirs. A vineyard may have different terroirs—sometimes within a few yards of each other if it transitions from hill to valley, east to west, north to south. Climate—even micro-climates affect terroir. You may be wondering what any of this has to do with you—especially if you don’t appreciate fine wine. The short answer—everything. You’ll find the long answer “Behind The Door.”
A friend asked me, regarding a controversial position that I had taken, “Would you do that differently in hindsight?” I replied, “No” and then went on to explain—“You have to remember that I was raised in southern California for the first fourteen years of my life and turned fourteen in 1967, the summer of love—I believe in equity and justice.” My terroir explains a lot. Born in Oklahoma, formative years in California, lived in Oklahoma, and moved to Dallas, Texas where I found my spiritual perspective. I’m a open minded Okie that thinks big with roots in the Voice of Healing revival and miracles. I’m complex. So are you.
The Bible, in fact all ancient writings, refers to terroir a lot. It’s not called terroir—it’s written as “So and So from Over There” and everyone that read about “So and So” knew what they were like because everyone knew what they were like “over there.” So they asked of Jesus, “Can any good thing come out of Galilee?” Because Galileans were considered less than orthodox and slightly new age. It was the terroir.
Your terroir influences your life in more ways than you realize. If you were raised in upward mobility you have a set of expectations. If you were raised hand to mouth you have an entirely different set of expectations—even if you’re doing well you still have a different set of expectations.
Terroir is complicated because it’s not just one thing—it’s a combination of things. For a vineyard it might be the gravel in the soil, the slope of the ground, the direction of the planting, the alkalinity or acidity of the soil, and any number of other factors. You are a result of where you were raised and how you were raised. Or weren’t raised— (You need to read my thoughts on “free range children” Behind The Door.)
What can you do about your terroir? Quite a bit actually. Understanding yourself—why you are as you are, your inner motivations, your outer motivations, what you really want out of life is not only the first step to self-actualization it’s also the first step to prosperity and success. More than that, understanding yourself will help you to keep your prosperity and success once you have it. (Side note—having had prosperity and success and losing it is far worse than never having had it at all!)
This fall Connie and I will make what has become an annual trip to wine country. This time we’re scheduled for Sonoma. The terroir is different there than in Napa. It’s not as touristy, less expensive, more rural, and generally laid back. Sonoma also produces the best Zinfandel wines—rich, spicy, a little unrefined, and bold. That’s my terroir.
When you join me “Behind The Door” I want show you how to make your terroir more productive. There are some things that you may want to change. Some adjustments to the soil of your life that you may want to make. It’s powerful stuff for people that want to get from where they are to where they want to be in life. I hope that’s you. If it is I’ll meet you “Behind The Door.”
You can go “Behind The Door” now if you have the password. If you don’t hit the “Sowing” button and sow a seed of any amount into this ministry. The default setting is $20 but you can raise that amount (many do because they understand the value of this connection) or you can lower that amount. I set it up this way because I want everyone to be able to step “Behind The Door.” I’ll meet you there.
