About 100 years ago a small sprout emerged from the soil on a farm in Tennessee. 60 years later the tree was cut down, and a local sawyer cut the tree into slabs and stacked the wood in the attic of a barn for 40+ years. 2 years ago I hauled a few of these cherry slabs out of the barn and racked then in the shop for a future project. Yesterday, one of the cherry slabs was cleaned, cut, hand planed, waxed, and placed on the mounts above the hearth. Soon there will be photographs of family and friends, or a few artifacts of places visited on display.
So, in our world of “I want it today”, maybe the good stuff comes with patience.