Outdoorsy Guys-The Corollary

If you are self-righteous and a braggart this may not apply; on the whole though people want to hear about your adventures. Case in point: Robert and I rode our bikes from San Francisco to the San Fernando Valley. We did it carrying a full tent, full camera gear and wearing tennis shoes. We did it a quarter of a century ago. People still want to hear the story; and we still tell it.


Most folks will want to hear your story because theirs are boring. One would think that this would cause them some concern and self reflection. It does not. For those of us trying to live out a good story though it adds impetus. We do it because living half-heartedly is an offense. We do it because we’d hate to crawl into that big pine box with the six handles on the outside and regret our life. We want to challenge the ring of folks around us as well so that our children and our friends will choose better stories.

Years ago my friend Glenn and his woman took a trip to South America. Their goal was to step foot into every country in South America. They scrimped and saved for a year then travelled a year through South America by plane, train, taxi and backpack. People would always say to them, “I wish I could do that.” He’d respond by assuring them they could do it. I suspect most did not.

Simply I can not understand settling for a mediocre existence. Life will throw curves at you and your dreams will shatter. At least wrestle with the possibilities. Push the envelope past your comfort zone. Then when they lower that pretty pine box into the ground they’ll be telling some good stories. You will have challenged them even from the dust.