Changing directions…. living at the end of life’s road
….with the frigid wind howling outside my cabin window drifting the fresh snow to feet instead of inches, I am so glad after almost twenty years living out here on the edge of Alaska’s wilderness that I had acquired over the decades hundreds of books to read, enjoy and learn from. Many was the winter evening I sat by the stove wrapped in an old army blanket so absorbed in a book I little noticed the storm raging just outside my walls. Now living here in Texas it seems the only time I pick up a book is when I spend time in the bathroom.
Accepting the inevitability that my body can no longer handle the rigors of life in the wilderness or for that matter everyday dry-cabin life akin to my daughters situation just outside of Fairbanks Alaska I am, metaphorically, being dragged kicking and screaming into the life of a senior citizen living in the heart of civilization. A new chapter in my life’s story is unfolding in front of me and though for 49 years I did live in civilization to be faced with the reality that this is where I will spend the rest of my life is still daunting.
Also after living for so long alone I will have to resurrect those old interpersonal traits of civility when at times I don’t harbor any good feelings may be a problem. During those years in the woods there was no one to notice when I awoke dragging my knuckles on the floor and growling at anything that moved, now I can’t even open the front door and let off a few ‘stress relieving’ rounds without ending up in jail. The walks by the rivers and streams I once enjoyed in blissful solitude will now be shared on the banks of the lake that surrounds my apartment with hundreds of strangers all looking out for themselves.
The few close friendships that were forged over years, in Alaska, are now gone or at the very least relegated to email and phone calls. Missing is the nights with one friend and mornings with another spent in give and take discussing the length and breath of our lives and anything that touched them. A spiritually satisfying night in semi darkness discussing God or our deceased loved ones will never happen again and all I can do is think back and hope those talks were not a dream.
You left to be closer to your son and family – and you are. Things change – it’s when they don’t change that we wish them to 😉
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Invitation accepted Pete. I look forward to your future musings & outlooks on life.
Thanks for the invite!
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We all enter new chapters. I’ve watched from up north as you debate the next fork, and I will continue to check in on you as you travel forward. I wish you the best Pete, and look forward to your future posts. Thanks for the invite to do so.
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‘icefogger’ you travel out of state and must have felt at times the ‘need to be back home’ which went away as soon as you landed at our airport.
To me it is more like I am a drug user in detox
knowing I will never feel the same way again.
Thanks for being one of the few from Alaska who read my blog
and remind me of home.
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Looking forward to it.
You should write a book about your experience in Alaska…..
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