Managing My Drops of Oil

A merchant sent his son to learn the Secret of Happiness from the wisest of men. The young man wandered through the desert for forty days until he reached a beautiful castle at the top of a mountain. There lived the sage that the young man was looking for.

However, instead of finding a holy man, our hero entered a room and saw a great deal of activity; merchants coming and going, people chatting in the corners, a small orchestra playing sweet melodies, and there was a table laden with the most delectable dishes of that part of the world.

The wise man talked to everybody, and the young man had to wait for two hours until it was time for his audience.

The Sage listened attentively to the reason for the boy’s visit, but told him that at that moment he did not have the time to explain to him the Secret of Happiness.

He suggested that the young man take a stroll around his palace and come back in two hours’ time.

“However, I want to ask you a favor," he added, handing the boy a teaspoon, in which he poured two drops of oil. “While you walk, carry this spoon and don’t let the oil spill.”

The young man began to climb up and down the palace staircases, always keeping his eyes fixed on the spoon. At the end of two hours he returned to the presence of the wise man.

“So,” asked the sage, “did you see the Persian tapestries hanging in my dining room? Did you see the garden that the Master of Gardeners took ten years to create? Did you notice the beautiful parchments in my library?”

Embarrassed, the young man confessed that he had seen nothing. His only concern was not to spill the drops of oil that the wise man had entrusted to him.

“So, go back and see the wonders of my world,” said the wise man. “You can’t trust a man if you don’t know his house.”

Now more at ease, the young man took the spoon and strolled again through the palace, this time paying attention to all the works of art that hung from the ceiling and walls.

He saw the gardens, the mountains all around the palace, the delicacy of the flowers, the taste with which each work of art was placed in its niche. Returning to the sage, he reported in detail all that he had seen.

“But where are the two drops of oil that I entrusted to you?” asked the sage.

Looking down at the spoon, the young man realized that he had spilled the oil.

“Well, that is the only advice I have to give you,” said the sage of sages. “The Secret of Happiness lies in looking at all the wonders of the world and never forgetting the two drops of oil in the spoon.”

from The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

This allegory from The Alchemist speaks to me because it demonstrates the importance of balance. Happiness doesn’t lie solely in seeing the marvels of the world, nor will you find it by focusing only on your life responsibilities. The key is to find a balance of both.

I begin my thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail (AT) in just 3 days and I’m reflecting on the message of this story. I won’t discover happiness by simply disappearing into the woods, completely ignoring “real life” and shirking my responsibilities. On the other hand, if I were to become so wrapped up in my day-to-day responsibilities, I would never have the chance to hike the AT at all. I want to live life fully, and that includes both adventures and managing my chosen drops of oil.

I’ve been busy making final preparations for the hike. There is gear to pack and travel logistics to coordinate, but just as important, if not more so, is making arrangements for the life I’m leaving behind. 

Since I’ll be off the grid for the next 5 or 6 months, it’s important to make sure everything back on the home front is in tip top shape. I’ll have intermittent cell service, but the goal is to need it as little as possible.

If I was hiking the AT as a recent college grad, like many thru-hikers are, my preparations would look a little different. At that age I had very few belongings and responsibilities. I didn’t have a mortgage or a wife or a dog (or a job for that matter). Things were simpler then. Don’t get me wrong, I really love my life now and I love being in my thirties. I treasure my drops of oil. I just need to take a few extra steps to make sure all my affairs are in order.

When passing through towns I may have a chance to catch up on emails and such, but there will be lots of other tasks to accomplish on town days: resupplying, showering, eating a decent meal, catching up with the wife, recharging the phone, etc. The less administrative stuff I have to deal with, the better. 

I’ve tried to do what I can to make sure all of my responsibilities at home can run on auto.

✅ Put all bills on auto pay. I won’t have to pay attention to bills or worry about missing a payment. 

✅ Set email auto-reply. “I am currently thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail and have very limited access to email. I will respond as I am able. Thank you for your patience!”

✅ Unsubscribed from all email lists. This will help keep my email inbox from getting too unwieldy. 

✅ Created Emergency Binder. Contains all online accounts, financial, and medical information, just in case something happens to me or I’m unreachable. It’s not just for emergency use; it also is a useful one-stop-shop for all our important household information. Read more about it here.

✅ Set up medical insurance.

✅ Double checked expiration dates on credit cards and IDs. Made sure nothing that I needed would expire while hiking.

✅ Cancelled unneeded memberships. No need to pay my monthly gym membership or for streaming accounts I won’t be using.

✅ Downgraded car insurance. My car will be sitting in storage, so no need to pay for complete coverage. 

✅ Filed 2022 taxes.

✅ Prepped meals for the wife. Though she is a great cook, I’m usually the primary chef in our house. I made some freezer meals to hopefully make her life a little easier while I’m gone. 

Hopefully these actions will help me find an equilibrium between seeing the marvels of the world and managing my drops of oil.

It’s not either/or, it’s yes/and.

Yes I crave adventure, and I want to be a responsible spouse. Yes I want to be fully immersed in nature, and I want to be a conscientious adult. That, according to the sage, is the secret to happiness.