Kate Wolf was an American folk singer. She had a wonderful voice, a powerful yet serene persona, and a beautiful face. She died young, not from the usual causes such as drug abuse, but from Leukemia.
"Here in California, the fruit hangs heavy on the vine, but there's no gold, I thought I'd warn you, and the hills turn brown in the summer time."
When I first heard the song I thought that it was a perfect metaphor.
We all begin by prospecting for gold. We want to be successful, powerful, wealthy and famous, and, if we do not strike gold we are dismayed.
I started out my adult life panning for gold. I wanted to strike it rich, but I didn't really know what it means to be rich. I do now.
It means to have good health, friendships, a close and supportive family, and a heart that is at peace and untroubled by external events.
Power, wealth and fame are not necessarily golden. None of these things necessarily lead to happiness. In fact they can lead to abject misery.