Posts by Allan Lacoste

Out To Pasture

Alabstraction Uncategorized

There is a calmness in the evenings that seem to bind the land to the creatures that walk upon it. As the sun lowers its glowing mane of light behind distant peaks and valleys, we set aside the cares of the day. We’ll worry again tomorrow, but for the moment it’s simply good enough to watch as a horse or cow noses its way through the grass. Soon it will be dark, and then the Earth and the animals upon it will sleep, but for now, the pasture is our stage, and all of us, bovine, equine, or human, are content to play our part.

  • Allan Lacoste

Mystical Fire

Alabstraction Uncategorized

Prometheus brought us the gift of fire, but what was fire if not the beating heart of the gods? It is the crimson flame that drives us forward. It is the destroyer that brings life. Forests die not because of fire, but because we prevent fires where they should by all rights occur. Nature relies on the cycle of destruction and rebirth and has since time beyond thought. But fire must be controlled, and therein lies the dichotomy.

Autumn Fun

Alabstraction Lifestyle Uncategorized

Autumn has always held a special place in our collective consciousness. If Winter symbolizes rest, Spring rebirth, and Summer the joy of youth, then Autumn represents peace and reflection- a time when we set aside the worries and cares of the rest of the year, and simply enjoy nature in all her glory. Trees burst into leafy flames of orange and burnt umber, and even the skies take on a cerulean glow. Walk outside on any given Autumn night, and you can almost hear our primal ancestors chanting around the red-gold sparks of a tribal hardwood fire.

  • Allan Lacoste

Driftwood beach fires

Alabstraction

If you’ve ever lived in a coastal town, you’ve no doubt taken part in a tribal ritual passed down from our forebearers from time immemorial: the driftwood bonfire.  Every few years an especially large store will come along, and the next morning the shoreline is festooned with driftwood, sprawled in piles like the remains of some arboreal crime scene.

Toward dusk, the inhabitants of the area will, of one accord, wind out of their modern caves, and gather on the sand.  Driftwood is gathered and arranged into pyres.  A match is lit.  We sit, much like our primate ancestors, and drive back the darkness with the magic Prometheus gave us, while reflections of the flames dance brightly in our eyes.

For a moment, there are no iPhones.  Twitter doesn’t exist.  All of the problems faced by our species can be solved with a flint knife and perhaps a few marshmallows for toasting.  Then, as the fire collapses into embers, we brush off the sand, travel back to our caves, and for a moment, however brief, we wonder if we might have been better if our ten-thousand-times-great grandparents had never left the beach.

A Natural Workspace

Alabstraction

Where you work has just as much impact on your life as where you live. For many of us, they are one and the same. For a man to achieve his highest level of performance, he must create a space that represents the world that he is working to create for himself and his family. This space can be physical- the walls, doors, ceilings, and floors that confine us- or this space can be mental and spiritual. The difference is that one space confines you, and the other sets you free.

  • Allan Lacoste