It occurred to me the other day that when I started this blog it had more than one are which I intended to cover. One of those areas was to fill in details of my upbringing that I think are important towards understanding why I would go into a trade like ironworking at the age most people retire from it. So that is what I will be doing here.
As I mentioned in previous posts my family has traditionally led a tumbleweed/gypsie sort of existence. I want to talk here about my love of and the importance to my story of the outdoors.I think the outdoors also makes a good overall metaphor for the kind of 'shoot from the hip' or 'wild west' type jobs that have appealed to me. For now though I just want to address the out of doors.
As the middlest of 5 kids in a home where education is valued I loved to read. My mother loves to tell the story of how I returned from my first day of school crying. When she asked me why I said it was because they hadn't yet taught me how to read! I was a very hyper kid complete with ADHD and so I had trouble learning or doing well in math and science and so on where reading was a refuge.
A lot of the books that I opted to read we're from the outdoors genre. I loved and devoured book about being lost in the woods, books a out Gray Owl, anything with First Nations people in it, anything in the 'man versus the wild' area. Not coincidentally I also started to devour outdoor survival books. While I was doing this I tested what I could while running around in whatever field or wood lot was handy. I made snares and trip wires, little lean-to's and shelters, I made fish traps and hooks and so on. I secretly held onto a fantasy of getting lost and surviving in the woods. I would be that. Oh. The legendary child with those adult qualities. I would be different. In a lot of ways I still feel like that child trying to be a man.
This is probably a good plAce to stop for now. I need to think about the sequencing of how I want to tackle my family's adventures in the woods and so my time with St. John's School of Ontario. So we will get to all of that later.
Re: your take on the books you gravitate towards and the reason why-
ReplyDeleteI agree and believe most of us have a childlike spirit within us (our innocence/our denial dance with death, etc) always playing a tug-o-war of sorts with the mask we wear as adults.
Re: the type of books you read-
Have we not talked about Hemingway's "The Nick Adams Stories?" If not- I'm sure they'd be right up your alley Pete (like most of Wilbur Smith's novels - except his stories are set in Africa).
Considering how you are entering these blog refections- they're fairly well done & typically have a logical flow of thought. I enjoyed your April 5th post on "Routines." I also look forward to your reflections on your time at St. John's School (including the near fatal canoe trip story!) - J