collector calls again

in my nearest park there is a circular section called duft garten -blinden und behinderten garten = scent garden -garden for the blind and handicapped. i don't know what was the original idea for its name but is has some smelling herbs in it, planted high on the circular earthbeds. this week my collector's instinct was calling me so strongly that i went in with a plastic bag and collected thyme till an old copple stepped in and i had to hide the bag. now we have fresh thyme on our breakfast sandwiches. already this gives me satisfaction. i will soon go there again and collect the stock for the rest of the year.
maybe part of this instict is also my new membership in the biggest bio supermarket in town. the membershipcard gives me an alibi to discover ever so attractive bio products in this green consumer's paradise. but that's about the only place i buy anything anyway nowadays!

collector's instinct

i belong to the group of people whose blood line must go back to the collector’s period, before the agricultural era began. i love to collect all kinds of goodies from the forest: blueberries, raspberries, cranberries and mushrooms. i experience a deep satisfaction and joy in finding good spoils in hidden places in the forest. then i am at peace with myself and with the world. my fingers are steadily working and stretching towards the berries and my thoughts are wandering freely. sometimes i’m crouching in impossible positions to reach a specially full branch of berries. i do feel pain in the back but i ignore it, at least to some point. i even endure the insects, mosquitos, ants and flyes of all kinds.
my joy has its roots in the collector’s instinct which again consists of pure survival need (food!) but also on the smells and colours these berries and mushrooms have. all my senses are partaking in the collecting.
the action is so overwhelming that later when i close my eyes, i continue to see berrybushes and mushrooms in the moss and my fingers keep smelling of them.
i don’t understand people who ignore all this abundance in the forest! luckily in finland it is aloud to pick up berries everywhere, no matter who owns the forest. i can move freely about but i do crouch and hide myself automatically if i see someone else. i think it’s somehow also an instict not to be seen by others while in the forest.(in order not to reveal the spoils for the other?)
specially the wild raspberries have been wonderful this year. i don't remeber any summer like this.there is relatively little worms and the berries almost drop to the hand. and the taste is so nobel and fine, the colour so raspberry-like red! it is a treat " de lux" to eat wild raspberries!
it is just sad that the only time i can follow my collector's instict is in the summer, that is in the month of july and part of august. no good. here in berlin they often plant wild berry bushes in the courtyards. this morning i was longingly noticing the riping berries in the buckthorn bushes outside this house...