Reading East of Eden, Part 2

Don't we all do this?

I have spoken of the rich years when the rainfall was plentiful. But there were dry years too, and they put a terror on the valley. The water came in a thirty year cycle. [...] The live oaks got a crusty look and the sage-brush was gray. The land cracked and the springs dried up and the cattle listlessly nibbled dry twigs. Then the farmers and the ranchers would be filled with disgust for the Salinas Valley. The cows would grow thin and sometimes starve to death. People would have to haul water in barrels to their farms just for drinking. Some families would sell out for nearly nothing and move away. And it never failed that during the dry years the people forgot about the rich years, and during the wet years they lost all memory of the dry years. It was always that way. (p.6)

Water cycles. Economic cycles. Even personal cycles of prosperity and dearth: physical, spiritual, monetary, or emotional. Not only should this make us want to "put away" for the "dry years," but when the cycles come 'round perhaps we should recognize that the situation may not be the fault of anyone- and that we can choose our response.

Do you dig in, haul some water, adjust your lifestyle to do more with less? Or do you sell out for nearly nothing, seek comfort in another area, perhaps enjoy some plenty in the new area's cycle, and yet remain woefully unprepared for when the opposition comes again?

Any applications to us today? Do "dry years" still affect us?

Discuss.