Toward the Arctic Circle
Posted April 5, 2020 This is a piece I posted on Face Book, December 14, 2016, a little more than four years ago. I hope it may bring a little smile to your face:
As of today, I have been living 75 years, and this is a good time for telling a story.
When I was a teenager of 14 or 15 and thinking about death, I decided I didn’t want to die of an old-age malady in a hospital—so, I came with a plan. I enjoyed backpacking and hunting, and I imagined myself pretty good at survival in the woods. My plan, then, was to combine these skills with my fascination for the northern forests. I would, at an appropriate old age, load up a backpack, take up a rifle and head toward the Arctic Circle in the great forest of northern Canada. My plan was to depart in late spring and live off the land until my end came sometime in the snowy winter, most likely of numbing cold. Or, a hungry bear or a pack of wolves might provide a particularly exciting final scene.
Once planned, I needed to decide just when I would take off on this final adventure. Of course, I didn’t want to go too early, however I needed to make sure I didn’t wait too long. I had to be physically fit enough for at least the first part of the trip. Looking about at older folks of this age or that, I decided that my most suitable age for this final adventure would be about 72.
As you know, I didn’t follow through with the plan. Through the years I’ve decided that as much as I liked backpacking, wildlife, and the great outdoors, that people are much more the essence of happiness. My plan now is to keep living–living as long as I am granted, continuing to love and fall in love with the people who surround me every day, wherever I may be.
To all of you who have wished me a Happy Birthday on this 75th anniversary, Thank You! I am a happy man, I’m having a happy day, and I love you every one.