Every summer, John, Bob, George, Milos and Bruno, five pre- and early teen cousins, roamed the countryside, where their parents had cabins. They played cops and robbers or acted out the fantasies gleaned from the books they had devoured over winter.
The cousins immersed themselves in their games, pretending to be Wild West woodsmen. Their parents cooperated by making clothes for them, except that they were not of leather or denim, but of cotton. They made bows and arrows, climbed trees from which they occasionally fell, and kayaked or canoed on the lake and the nearby river.
The “woodsmen” slept in primitive WWII-issue tents that leaked, shivered through the nights without proper sleeping bags, and even tried to cook their meals. They would have loved to fry fish, but never caught any, or roast rabbits if their arrows could kill any. So they settled on cooking soups over the campfire in a kettle suspended from a tripod with ingredients their mothers prepared in the kitchen. At least they used wild mushrooms they had collected in the woods.
These were the coveted adventures despite all the physical exertion and discomfort, and they were remembered and bragged about without hesitation when back in the city.
*****
The cousin’s teen years came and went, marking the transition from carefree childhood to early adulthood, where one must fend for oneself, support a family, build a career, and raise children. This was a genuine new adventure.
Bruno married Elsa when they were both 24, and three years later, their world blown apart when their homeland, was invaded by a foreign power who attacked because they could, backed by their superior numbers, imperialistic ambitions, and the extreme political demagogy of its leaders.
When the dust settled, the gang of five cousins dispersed into four countries on two continents. Bruno and Elsa moved serendipitously across the ocean to the New World, which was still very pristine compared with old Europe, and this motivated them to learn and do new things.
They were capable and successful in their chosen professions and lead productive and interesting lives. When they became empty nesters, they had fewer responsibilities and more time to do the little things that put spice into their lives. Bruno likes to call these extracurricular activities “adventures.”
With their advancing age, Bruno and Elsa have developed aches and pains, have less energy, and yearn for more comfort. If the extracurricular activities became too strenuous or uncomfortable, such as Bruno’s exploration of chainsaws and chiselling on wood, they would switch to less physically demanding activities. Bruno calls them “adventures of the mind.”
*****
Despite the distance that separates them, Bruno stays in touch with his cousin, John, by e-mail.
July 3
Hi John! Long time no see. I am attaching photos from a family day trip to Banff in the Rockies.
Nothing much is happening on the health front in our house…… We enjoy working in the garden, and all is good. I would like to know how things are going with you and your loved ones, especially your health, and how you spend the summer.
Best regards, Bruno
-----
July 26
Hello Bruno and family! My heart is fine, but as a result of CPR when I had the heart attack earlier this year, I can only lift my arms slowly and carefully (so they don’t fall out), with pain and only without weight. It’s not ideal, but what can I do?! Of course, I probably won’t be able to play golf anymore!
The family is fine. Take care and “cultivate your garden” (as Voltaire says at the end of Candide).
John
-----
August 2
Hi John! I’m sorry, you’ll probably have to give up golf, but sometimes you need to let go of something to keep enjoying other things. Nothing lasts forever, not even love for the same girl (oops, for golf!), my dad used to say.
When I was 64, my knees hurt so much that I couldn’t sleep after we had played volleyball. I could play for another two years, but if I stopped, I would probably be able to walk for another twenty years, and even keep hiking. So I stopped, twenty years have passed, and I’m still walking!
Bruno
-----
August 6
Hi, I agree with you about recognizing limits in life, but I struggle with it. It still bothers and upsets me greatly that I am unable to do what I could do not long ago. Of course, everyone comforts me and encourages me to think positively, like you, but my soul and nature want more.
I’m trying at least to detach myself from the past and look to the future, but generally speaking, the outlook is bleak: nothing but clouds on the horizon.
Greetings, John.
-----
August 11
Dear John!
When you were 8 and I was 14, we were adventurers (or at least pretended to be) in the best sense of the word. Despite my being the eldest of the five cousins and you the youngest, you were a formidable opponent in many games we played.
So when you say that due to a few health setbacks; and “It bothers and upsets you greatly that you are unable to do what you could do not long ago” and that your “soul and nature want more,” I am concerned. It gave me an impetus to give it some thought.
What makes life interesting? I came to a simplistic opinion, perhaps, that the time we spend being providers, i.e., making a living and caring for our and our dependents’ welfare, can be labelled as “mundane,” and the time spent jazzing up our lives can be loosely called “adventurous.”
The dictionary definition of adventure is an “exciting or noteworthy event that one experiences firsthand, is risky and often dangerous, and involves taking chances.”
The above rough-and-tumble definition is emphasized too much. It is not the only one, though. Others say that an activity can still be considered an adventure if it involves the unknown, encompasses the thrill of trying new things and exploring unfamiliar territory, even if it does not involve significant risk, dangers and is not strenuous. I like this one better.
For example, if one peruses the true meaning of words as the classical writers use them, is it not an adventure? Accordingly, exploration the meaning of, even doing creative arts, or if it is a study of history or geography, languages, immersing oneself in listening to classical music and operas, and being inspired by them, are these not “adventures of the mind;” and can they not “jazz up” our lives just as well?
Even the physically frail can soar, and there is no age limitation. The older the better, as the tidbits of thoughts and events already in one’s mind may connect and lead to unexpected discoveries.
If you allow yourself, as I have, to “detach yourself from the past and look to the future,” there are not exclusively just “clouds on the horizon.”
It is rather: “Sunny with only a few scattered clouds!”
Love, Bruno