While General Douglas MacArthur was stationed in Australia and acting as Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in the Southwest Pacific Area, he penned this prayer for his only son, Arthur.

Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.

Build me a son whose wishes will not take the place of deeds; a son who will know Thee—and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge.

Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. Here let him learn to stand up in the storm; here let him learn compassion for those who fail.

Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goal will be high; a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.

And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously. Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, and the weakness of true strength.

Then I, his father will dare to whisper, “I have not lived in vain. ”

outside

Ladies and gentlemen, the fall is essentially upon us.

I could not be happier about this.

The best thing about the fall is being outside.

I really like being outside.

A lot.

One day I hope to have a job that affords me a little more time outdoors.

Or a cabin with a massive garden.

Or just a farm.

Or race in the Iditarod.

So on and so forth.

 

There is something very renewing about spending an extended time in the wilderness, and I often wonder why that is.

I understand that it is not everyone’s cup of tea.  Humans have spent the better part of our existence trying to refine and escape from outside.

We retreat inside to seek the comfort of a roof and air conditioning.

Going outside has become an increasingly recreationalized.  Not that it’s entirely a bad thing.  I would never want to give anyone a reason not to get off of the grid for a spell, or enjoy the brillance of the natural world.

I guess, for a lot of folks, it is like a retreat from the retreat.

For my own part, I enjoy the simplicity of nature.  It is more of a retreat from the unnecessary things involved in the day-to-day.  It feels good to step back, slow down, and take stock.

 An appreciation and understanding of the outdoors is something I want to foster in my own children.  I think it is an oft neglected aspect of childhood in the modern age.  A walk on the creek bed can inspire an imagination as much as a video game (although some video games are very well developed)

 

At any rate, I cannot express how much I enjoy falling leaves, camp fires, hammocks, pumpkin pie, and apple cider.  So I won't even try.