This post is dedicated to my aunt Pat

For my entire life I have constantly been running into people that try and tell me what I have to do and not do. It's been ridiculous.

"If you want to become someone and have a good job you have to get a degree" was one I heard for years. I'm 63 and still don't have one yet I am a licensed US Merchant Marine officer. I consider the license to be my degree.

My favorite is the old 'You'll never get anywhere if you don't do such and such' line I have heard a lot over the years.

Where was I going to begin with?

My favorite time I heard this line was when someone told me I'd never get anywhere if I continued messing around with a sailboat I bought. The conversation was pretty memorable.

"You're never going to get anywhere if you just waste your time sailing,"

"Yes, I will," I replied. "I'll get to Kodiak because that's where I'm going. I'll get there."

"Yeah, but you'll be there with a bunch of fishermen and other offbeat people that never get anywhere."

"Will you be there?" I asked.

"Of course not!"

"That's reason enough for me," I said. "You are going to stay here and when I get to Kodiak I will be surrounded by people that didn't stay here and lead a boring life doing the same old thing."

A few days after that I did set sail for Kodiak and after a long, enjoyable trip I arrived there. I got somewhere. I got to Kodiak. It is where I had wanted to go in the first place. 

The person that said that to me stayed put. I got somewhere and they didn't. As was generally the case.

I think I'm going to dedicate this post to my Aunt Pat.

Back when I was fishing in Alaska and adventuring all over hell I visited her. Her kids were all in good colleges and have all done well in their own right. I dropped in on her and she always had a snort of a bottle of Johnny Walker Black for me. 

My aunt encouraged me and defended me during those years.  She was the one that said to my mother, "For God's sake, leave him alone! At least he's doing something interesting with his life!"

She was the one that never told me what I had to do to be happy or successful. She knew I'd figure it out on my own. 

Yeah. Here's to my Aunt Pat.




To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY