Saturday, October 12, 2013

Lessons we could learn

The recent government shutdown has infuriated me, on a number of levels. But, since I am not a political pundit, I'll not go into all of that.  While listening to the radio recently, I heard a story about a man and his son who had planned an epic, once in a lifetime trip down the Colorado River, which they were unable to take because of the shutdown of the National Parks.  He had spent countless hours planning this trip, tens of thousands of dollars in rental fees and permit fees, and taken his son out of school for the length of the trip.  Unfortunately for them, their point of access to the river was inside Grand Canyon National Park, so when they arrived, they were told by the rangers that they had to turn around.  This story made me think of how this same scenario might have played out 74 years ago when the Daughter Courageous made their epic trip.

I wondered about the logistics of their trip.  They didn't get to any of the national parks until at least two weeks into their trip, and, at the age of 23,none of them were likely glued to any type of news media, such as it was in 1939.  So, had these same events occurred then, it seems to me entirely likely that these young women could have driven up to the gates of the  Grand Canyon to find a sign that said, "sorry! we're closed", without any advance warning.

So, what then?  The Grand Canyon is remote now, with really nothing around it for miles outside the park, and I'm sure it was even more so then.  So, in an era of no cell phones, really no pay phones hardly, no internet to find the next hotel, gas station or roadside attraction, they would have had no choice but to press on, and make still the best of their trip, without the epic visit to the Grand Canyon, and later Yellowstone.  And, being nicknamed the Daughters Courageous, I have no doubt that they would have found another epic adventure to make up for their loss.

I tend to think that they would have pressed on and really not have been too crushed by a hiccup such as this, because that is what I knew of my Grandma.  She did always press on, and whatever it was, it was always ok.  Her generation of Americans had that resilience, and our country could do well to remember that now.  We need to remember how to make the best of what we have, instead of wanting for more.

Hopefully the man in the interview I heard was courageous enough to press on and find another epic adventure.

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