I don't know about you, but I'm getting sick and tired of "authority figures" telling me what to think, what to believe, and what to do, out of fear.
"God wants you to do as I tell you. If you don't do as we say, you don't believe in God!"
"Obama is out to get your guns, only we can save you!" "The corporations are out to rule the world, the only way to stop them is to follow me!"
What did F.D.R. say about fear?
Now it's easy to get into that "Back in the good ol' days" mentality. Don't forget that after this speech our country rounded up the Japanese and threw them into concentration, er, internment camps. Or that long before this speech our country waged a ruthless, unprovoked war on the original inhabitants of this continent.
What ever happened to thinking for yourself? What happened to questioning authority? Is the herd mentality that strong?
Think for yourself. Do it in your own way. And not because I told you to.
Pretty big scare today. My mom called last night, worried that her leg was hurting, swollen, and getting worse. Took her to the doctor, and when she came out of the exam room she was shaky. Turns out the doctor wanted her to go straight to the Emergency Room.
So after a battery of tests, it was determined that she has a large blood clot in her leg and a small one in her lung. The doctor and nurses all seemed optimistic about Mom's recovery with blood thinners.
Although this wasn't quite as scary as Dad's falling off the ladder problems of a few years ago, in the ER waiting room, I was definitely dwelling on just how much time I have left with my parents and how many more trips to the hospital we might be taking in the near future. Not a pleasant topic for meditation.
My mom, dad, and uncle are all losing their hearing and visibly slowing down both physically and cognitively recently. I always thought they would become this way in their sixties, but it wasn't until the very late sixties, and now early seventies, that they really are beginning to be like old folks. So, looking at it from a selfish angle, that gives me only 20 more years, tops, before I'll be constantly saying, "What?!"
Makes me wonder how many more elk hunting trips, how many fishing trips, how many games of pinochle do I get with these folks I love dearly? After Grandpa, Mike, and Steve, I put a great deal of mental physics into the topic of dying and living. Hadn't thought about it much lately, but today there was the elephant in the Emergency Room, staring down his trunk at me.
The first couple of guiding trips I wasn't so sure this was going to be such a good idea. The fishing wasn't spectacular, and I felt bad because these folks were paying serious coin.
The women were cool, happy to be out on the water and relaxing in a beautiful setting. The guys were visibly disappointed in the fishing, and for good reason, fishing was slow. I felt like I let them down.
Ed, my friend and new boss did his best to cheer me up over the phone. It was frustrating to let people down. In the end, all you can do is your best. Take the folks to beautiful places, teach them how to cast, and teach them how to catch the fish. Much is still out of the guide's hands.
The last two trips have been an absolute joy. Teaching folks how to fly fish, seeing their happy expressions when they catch fish, and their genuine appreciation of the gorgeous surroundings.
It has been a blast getting to meet people from around the country, and even the world.
I've been playing around with the digital camera and making movie/slide shows. Here's an example of one of the latest attempt:
This song and video by Canadian Rachelle Van Zanten is now on my all-time favorites list. Our kids deserve better than what we're handing over to them.
