My Nomadic Friend.
My friend James has become a nomad.
After several years of uninterrupted hell working for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, James is following his dream by backpacking the wild, untamed west.
James was an early friend to me when, as a single mother, I packed up my 21-month-old daughter and headed to the great City of St. Louis, where I moved into a 4-family flat in south city. I knew almost nobody and had virtually nothing but a quasi-beater of a car. James helped me keep that car going a couple of times when I really needed it.
James was a somewhat like-minded soul, having lived many years in the small town of Mountain Grove in southwest Missouri. Like many Ozarkers, we 'got' each other when nobody else seemed to 'get' us. We shook our heads at the city people, though I probably embraced citty life a little more than James. That's okay, James kept me grounded in my roots.
Eventually I had enough with DNR and its farcical existence and moved on. It took James awhile to get fed up (he's patient, but he doesn't suffer fools gladly -- nor do I), but eventually it was his time to go, too. I was sad when he stopped by the house to visit and told us he was going west to follow his dream of backpacking through what seems to me to be a big part of Nevada, Utah, and California. I feared he wouldn't stay in touch and, like so many long-lost friends, we wouldn't have the opportunity to visit again.
Thankfully, I was wrong. James has kept in touch -- sporadically, as it has to be, as he's hiking the back country. Nevertheless, I keep tabs on him through job references and the like, and I was thrilled to reach into my mailbox the other day and find a letter from him, accompanied by photos. Photos! Behold:
I'm amazed at his job (he's currently counting mosquito larvae) and his sense of adventure. Someday maybe I'll be adventurous like that, too. Right now I'm too busy being a parent and a wife, and that's what I want right now. I never traveled much before having kids, but Greg and I hope to travel extensively someday.
James is one of the most sincere people I know. I know we can trust his word when he gives it, and he's as honest as the day is long.
Go forth, James, and live your dreams. Just be sure to write every now and then!
Happy trails,
Michelle, Greg, Laurel, & Ethan.
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