As far as adventures were concerned, the Old Man was the founder of practically all the feasts he ever enjoyed. He thought of them, he planned them, he invited whatever guests he wanted to attend, if any, then he supervised the adventures’ execution and saw them through to the end. They did not come off without difficulty or adjustment along the way, but neither did they collapse into utter ruin short of their goals. Some worked better than others, but they came to pass, each functioning about as reliably as the average reliability of the people involved.
Through many Christmases, the Old Man gave me a variety of presents, all suited in one way or another for the life of a boy. Baseball bats and basketballs, fishing rods and pocket knives, each were thoughtful in their own way, but the one gift of his I still carry with me may be one he never intentionally set out to give. The incontrovertible idea that we can dream up a thing and then make it come to be was possibly his very best gift of all, and it has a lot to do with how I got this way. Still, he meant well.
Generally, the Old Man took it upon himself to balance work and chores with play, and did at least well enough at it to get by. As far as I could tell, he generally did about what he wanted whenever he wanted to do it, which always seemed like an ideal arrangement to me, though I admit I arrived in his company after the majority of his life’s day-to-day mission critical demands were met and gone. Still, the balance he demonstrated was critical to his own outlook on life, and it’s one he demonstrated well. More time on the water, more afternoons dressing fish, more mornings around the kitchen table before the next adventure was to begin, those were the gifts I treasure still.
I’m sure he didn’t invent the notion of giving future experiences as presents, but the notion of something to look forward to served also as simple motivation, and the limitless nature of things to dream up and do outdoors makes the gift of adventures to come the perfect thing to put under the tree.
Most of all, planned adventures require commitment on the giver’s part to make them happen. Life will offer plenty of opportunities to opt out. The key is just to keep going. Creating opportunities to make memories, to have experiences, moments in time you’ll look back upon for decades to come, those are gifts that require thought and planning. They’re also the gifts that offer the giver the most in return.
Kevin Tate is a freelance writer. Email [email protected].
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