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What’s
Happening Tomorrow?
 When
I was thirteen years old I witnessed an event that is forever etched in my
memory. I grew up in a small town in east Texas. The town had less than
1000 people and there was no real industry other than oil and timber. My
grandparents owned a small store and gas station. It was very quaint and
was something you might see in a movie where the director wanted to
portray a desolate stop in the middle of nowhere. This store was at the
intersection of one road that led into the town, which was small, even
compared to backcountry Texas towns. The other road led into an even less
populated portion of the state. The only store customers were those who
lived deep in the country or those who were lost and asking for
directions.
In
front of the store was a large gravel parking lot about half the size of a
football field. Some of the town old-timers would sit in front of the
store and swap stories as they whittled away at the very bench they sat
on. Over time those benches heard some whopper stories. But as the stories
were being told, the bench was being shaved away, one splinter at a time.
After about a year my grandfather would replace the carved-up bench with a
new one, and the carving routine would begin again. My grandmother would
just shake her head in disgust at the entire process.
One
day while I sat on the bench listening to my grandfather talk with a local
rancher, a young boy came speeding off the road in his souped-up monster
car. He intentionally spun the car in a circle, spraying gravel onto the
only two pick-ups in front of the store. The teenager (who I will call
Scott) stopped and hung his head out the window and laughed loudly. The
rancher yelled at him and walked to his truck, where he pulled his shotgun
out from the gun rack. I couldn’t believe my eyes as Scott got out of
his car and walked right up the to rancher. He stopped five feet away him
and stood there for what seemed like forever. The rancher raised and
pointed the shotgun right at Scott. My grandfather and I sat on the bench,
frozen and stunned. We couldn’t believe what was happening right in
front of us.
Then
Scott spoke calmly and said, "Go ahead. I have nothing to wake up for
tomorrow." The rancher stood there for quite a while, shotgun raised,
and finally just turned and walked to his truck. Scott walked back to his
car, then spun his tires as he drove away.
I
have often thought of Scott and how empty his life must have been. He
obviously had no passion or purpose to his existence, and did not value
his own life. I will never forget Scott. But sadly I know today there are
millions of people like him, who feel they have no reason for living.
I
guess this is why I still enjoy reading articles about people like Barbara
Liebeck, who I read of this week. As a young girl Barbara wanted a pony,
but never got one. She actually prayed every night for that pony. But as
an adult she has worked to fulfill that childhood dream. Now she has four
horses in her back yard.
Every
week I search for articles about equestrian news stories that would
interest our Bay Area Equestrian readers. I must tell you that every week
I read about 20 to 30 similar articles about people who are pursuing their
passions and dreams. I seldom know the person the article is about, but
when I read a story about someone following their passion, it always
catches my attention. Especially when the writer has truly captured
the feelings of the person in the article.
One
of my favorite questions to ask people is, "What is your
passion?" I love asking that question more than any other. It
sometimes shocks me when a person takes a while to answer. And it
saddens me when the answer is, "I don’t know."
It
is my opinion that humans are naturally passionate. My faith gives my life
purpose and horses are a large part of my passion. And I am fortunate that
I live in a country that allows me to pursue happiness, my passions, and
my faith.
Reading,
television, movies, interactive games and even the internet give us the
ability to have pseudo-adventures right in our homes. But only by really
living do we actually experience real adventure. I believe life without
purpose is just drifting. Life without dreams lacks hope. And life without
passion is not life, but mere existence. One of my favorite mugs was given
to me by a friend. It says, "Many allow their dreams to run wild but
few have the courage to follow them."
Sometimes
we have to stop just following the person in front of us and examine our
lives for a moment. What are our goals? What are our passions? Have we
given up our childhood dreams? Stories of people like Barbara, and others
like her who are taking risks to follow their passions and dreams, cause
us to look at ourselves and our life’s direction. Oliver Wendell Holmes
wrote, "It is not as important where we are, but where we are
going."
As
the year is drawing to a close, many of us will look back and evaluate the
year that is ending. And many will set new goals as the New Year
approaches. I assume that if you’re reading this, some of your passions
probably relate to horses, as do mine. This is a great time to examine
your goals and plan for the upcoming year. What do you hope to accomplish
with your horse next year? Are your goals in line with your dreams? Do you
want to add a little more adventure or take a few more risks in your goals
for the New Year, in order to assure you experience life next year and
don’t just watch it pass by?
Whatever
your passion and whatever your goals, follow them with all your heart. And
be grateful that you have something worth waking up for tomorrow.
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Copyright Garry
Stauber © 2004 All rights reserved. The above article is
the property of the Author and may not be duplicated or redistributed in
any way without permission. Visit Garry on-line at Dream Adventures.
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