A Walk with Mr. Walking Wild (reposted)

I’ve hiked in forests, near beautiful landscapes, and on a foreign island, but all those pale in comparison to the unplanned walk I was able to have with Mr. Walking Wild; which of course is merely his blog name.   For to me, he takes on many names: Supporter, Friend, Father, Adviser, and most revered mentor.    Each roll he plays with love and admiration. After returning from the Orkney Islands, I spent the rest of that summer at my childhood home.    I took that trip as a life-altering experience, my worldview had completely changed. I began to reassess what I found important in life and I started prioritizing my relationships. I began to realize that my family created the backbone of my being. I also contemplated the definition of family, which ended up including people lacking blood relation. My family’s constant love and support have been consistent throughout all of my so-called phases of life. They were there for me whether I wanted to be a professional athlete, a real-estate agent, a solitary wilderness wanderer, and in all other plans or dreams I had. And from every day on, through retrospective thoughts and observations, family became more and more important. So when my dad asked me to take a newly acquired, very used truck with him to Lowe’s, I jumped at the opportunity. Then the unfortunate event of the truck blowing up a couple miles from our house (by the way I know nothing about cars so by blowing up I could very well mean there was a loose spark plug). And although I am not much of a subscriber to the theory that everything happens for a reason, for some reason neither of us brought our cell phones. We were left with only one option, walking some of the same gravel roads my dad talks about throughout his blogs. There was little silence throughout the walk. What became of it was an unprecedented conversation that I was only recently equipped to have with my dad. I learned a lot in those two miles, but I wished it would have been twenty. We were finally at a point in our relationship where we could connect emotionally and intellectually. I think this happens at some point in any parental-child relationship, but that takes nothing away from the grandeur of the exact moment. To quote musician Eddie Vedder, “Young men they pretend, Old men comprehend.” A quote that derives from the lack of connection youth is beginning to have with their elders. For some reason we young people think that our life events and life questions are foreign to our parents, or other older mentors; when in reality we can have no idea who we are until we know where we came from. I will never forget that walk. I can only compare it to some religious or tribal ritual of becoming a man. And as I am likely to come upon more failure, or other unprecedented occurrences, I always know that I have a loving dad who is there to ease the burden. Family should always be this for each other, and I am very lucky that mine is. And I will testify that there is little that compares to the relationship between a father and a son. I love you dad, and I thank you for choosing that truck on that day.

Son of Mr. Walking Wild

P.S. To the rest of my family, I cherish each and every one of you for all that you have been for me, and all that you have let me be for you.