Berry Pickin'

Wanting to have an "experience," I went blackberry picking this past Saturday out in the country. Normally, when it's 90+ degrees and I have to be outside, I try to wear as little clothing as possible. Not so for this task; I was wisely instructed to wear head-to-toe denim, boots (mine look like ladybugs), and a head scarf. While this get-up kept me safe from chiggers (!), it was sweat-soaked in seconds.
Add in the fact that blackberries are surrounded by thorns, and you'd think it was a horrible experience. But it wasn't. It was fun to walk around the woods and search for them--exciting each time we discovered a bunch of ripe berries. Like an Easter egg hunt, but scratchier.
The three quarts of blackberries we wrested are going to become jelly, and I know that its taste will surpass any on Kroger's shelves because I worked for it. Isn't that true for everything? The harder you work for something, the better it is.