2018 – A Reflection

It’s literally been years since the publication of Warder Born. I am really quite embarrassed as an author to have had so many years go by without another book for those that are interested in reading them. I will not give you excuses, all I can tell you about is life. Something we all do, some certainly do it better than others.

Most of the time, I consider myself one who is living better than most. Although, the past year and a half, I couldn’t say this.

Living better than most, to many minds equates this to making a lot of money. Making money always helps living, but it does not mean that you are living well. What you really have to ask yourself, and be completely honest, is, are you happy?

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Teanaway Run

Sure, you think, I’m happy. I have a good job, I bring in a decent paycheck, I have a place to live, and I have a really nice car. Maybe even you have a super nice house! Maybe you have an excellent job, and bring in tons of money. But are you satisfied at the end of the day? Do you stand staring at the moon with a glass of ale in your hand thinking “today has been a great day?” And why you’re saying that, you have a light heart, and a smile on your face. Not a smile of greed, or lust, but one of complete satisfaction within your mind, heart, and most importantly, your soul.

My partner and I live an unusual life, compared to society and their expectations. We live without running water, indoor plumbing, or even a solid roof over our head. Neither of us worry about what our hair looks like, I might even go days without re-braiding it. What a slob you might think, but what is the purpose of brushing your hair? To get all the tangles out? Maybe to look good for everybody else to look at? That’s it, you see. I don’t care what others think of what my hair looks like. I’m not worried that I have wrinkles around my eyes, or that at forty-eight my hair is completely gray. Believe me, the gray is the mileage, not the years. This old body has covered many, many miles. And that gray hair is a badge of honor to those miles.

Lately there’s been desperate little satisfaction in life. Bitten off more than we can chew. That’s what happened in the last year and half. Putting the cart before the horse, up a creek without a paddle, you probably know all those sayings. Well, that’s us. Thinking we can make anything work, because that’s what we’ve always done. Now we are trying to play catch-up. The only problem is, only one of us can run. Me, I’m stuck back here limping along, gnashing my teeth at my body for giving up on me. I spend been half the time on my knees these days because I can’t bend over to reach something below my hips, or because I fell and haven’t managed to get back up yet.

I’ve done so many things in my lifetime. Everyone thinks I’ve lived such an exciting life. They are right! I’ve had many great adventures and exciting times. But the problem is, I am not ready for that to stop. I want to keep exploring and learning and… I want to do whatever I want! That’s how I have lived. If I wanted to go run dogs for 50 miles, I went and ran dogs for 50 miles. If a huge windstorm came up and tore the tarp off the hay pile, I would crawl up there with the stupid tarp and the wind screaming thirty or forty miles an hour, and tie it back down. I did what needed to be done, I had the strength and the knowledge, or at least figured it out as I went.

And now those days are gone. I can’t run dogs anymore, and I can’t climb up the hay pile unless it’s only one bale high. Hell, I can’t even carry a gallon of water without… Without consequence. I’ve spent a lot of time fighting the fact that I’ve used up this body, it’s done. The pistons don’t fire right, the wiring is all shorting out, and the struts have gone flat. In fact, not only have the struts gone flat but the leaf springs are broken.

But what has taken me a while to understand, is that there still are new adventures to be had. New adventures, new excitements, new stories. And now that I spend 70% of my

With the coming of 2018, I realized that I still can live well. My soul can be fulfilled, my mind and heart content. All I must do is adjust how I see my life, look through a different part of the prism and see how it reflects on what lies before me.

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Come on! There’s more!