Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch by Henry Miller Read Free Book Online

other father has the makings of an excellent mother.
    I cannot refrain from repeating—never have I known a community in which there
     was so much talent, so many capable men and women, so many resourceful, self-sufficient souls.
     Even that scallywag up in the hills who pretends to be a good for nothing, “a real son of a
     bitch,” as he lovingly labels himself, knows how to live with himself and can be, when he
     chooses, a most gentle, lovable, charitable person, one of those happy “misfits” who has
     tasted everything and who, God bless him!, has therefore no more respect for the inside of a
     temple than the inside of a jail, no more consideration for a scholar than for a tramp, no
     higher opinion of a judge than of the culprit who keeps the judge in food and raiment.
    And where else in this beloved country is a neighbor apt to turn up
     unexpectedly in order to inquire what he can do for you? Meaning by that—what needs fixing,
     mending or repairing? In an emergency there are always a half-dozen fullbodied spirits within
     shouting distance who can be relied upon to drop everything and come to one’s assistance. I
     have never known a situation to arise, and I must say we have had some bizarre ones, with
     which these volunteers could not cope. The moral of all this is—the less organization the
     better!
    When all is said and done, there remains the inescapable fact that to keep a
     footing here taxes all one’s resources. One may be capable, practical, determined,
     persevering, full of vitality, yet never quite equal to the challenge which is constantly
     imposed. It is all thrown at you pell-mell: landscapes, seascapes, forests, streams, birds of
     passage, weeds, pests, rattlesnakes, gophers, earwigs, misfits, vagabonds, sunsets, rainbows,
     yarrow, hollyhocks, and that leech of the plant world called the morning-glory. Even the rocks
     are seductive and hypnotic. And where else on this earth will you find a towering wall of fog
     advancing from the date line with a knife-blue crest behind which a setting sun shoots out
     “squirrels and lightning”?
    It is all so inviting, so spectacular, so complete in itself, that atfirst you are emotionally stymied. The preliminary bout of intoxication
     which inevitably follows is one the alcoholic never knows. Comes a settling down period,
     generally accompanied by a slight touch of boredom—the ransom one pays for flirting with
     perfection. Then follows the trouble period, when inner doubts pave the way for domestic
     squabbles, and the whole horizon grows dark with conflict. When at last you hit bottom, you
     say—every one has said it at least once!—“Big Sur? Why, it’s just like every other place!”
     Speaking thus, you voice a profound truth, since a place is only what you make it, what you
     bring to it, just as with a friend, a lover, a wife, a pet or a pursuit.
    Yes, Big Sur can be a dream come true—or a complete washout. If there’s
     something wrong with the picture, have a look at yourself in the mirror. The one difference
     between Big Sur and other “ideal” spots is that here you get it quick and get it hard. Get it
     between the eyes, so to say. The result is that you either come to grips with yourself or else
     turn tail and seek some other spot in which to nourish your illusions. Which leaves a whole
     universe to roam—and who is to care should you
never
come face to face with
     yourself?
    Big Sur is not a Mecca, a Lourdes, or even a Lhasa. Nor is it a Klondike for
     the incurable idealist. If you are an artist and think to muscle in here, it would be wise to
     first find a patron, because the artist cannot live off the artist, and here every other
     individual, seemingly, is an artist of one sort or another. Even the plumbers.
    What could one bring that would be of value to the community? Just a normal,
     modest desire to do whatever needs to be done in whatever way it can be done. Briefly, two
     capable hands, a strong heart,