John learns how to be a hermit
[305-394]
John left a career in carpentry to become a hermit at the age of 25 — but first he had to learn how. He moved to the desert with an old man who gave him a simple assignment: the man took a piece of dry wood, planted it, and told John to water it every day until it bore fruit. Then he’d understand.
Now, this was the desert, so in order to get water John had to walk far. He'd leave at night, when it was cooler, and only make it back the next morning. This is what he did, every night, for three years until indeed the dead wood bore fruit. The old man threw the stick away.