I craw out of my dad’s silver, Dodge Quad Cab, pickup. I strike out across his land. I am in the deep woods of a place known as Beat 10. Here is the picture. I grab my Glock 40 caliber and holster it on my right hip. I throw the 7 millimeter .08 rifle over my left shoulder. I grab my nicely finished, leather computer case containing my MacBook and carry it off of my left shoulder. I grab a bag of chocolate chip cookies. The last piece is a red cooler which was an after thought. Just before leaving my grandmother’s I asked my uncle Keith if he had a cooler. He digs around and finds a red, soft-side, Dale Earhardt Jr. cooler with the number 8 plastered to the side. I filled the cooler with ice that I got from an outside freezer behind my grandmother’s house under a big shed. The freezer contained processed deer meat and deer heads waiting to be mounted. Along with the ice, I throw in some Heinekens.
Just to make sure you got the picture, I have the computer on the left shoulder, The rifle over the left shoulder. A red, Earnhardt Jr. on the right shoulder (Jr. would die if he knew I didn’t have Budweiser in that cooler) cookies in one hand, my Glock on my right hip, sportin’ my Maui Jim sunglasses, in my new boots, with my Levi’s, and I have my phone. Look out deer! Here I come. It is also important to note that my dad had to de-scent me earlier. I didn’t know that I was going hunting this morning. I showered, put some gel in my hair, and put some cologne on. He sprayed this stuff all over me that neutralized my scent. Then he sprayed some stuff on me that smelled like cedar. I smell like a Christmas tree right now.
I trod over to the corner of my dad’s property. There, just ahead is his hunting shack that he built. It is a lot like the Taj MaShack. It has a leather, Lane, office chair in it. I am currently sitting in it. This is roughing it. Oddly enough, I am typing on my computer in the shack.
It is quite obvious that there are several things wrong with this picture, too many to list; although, my list is a good start. Just for kicks and giggles, I am also wearing Banana Republic underwear and an Ashcroft golf pullover. I hope this doesn’t make me sound pretentious. I am just quite humored by all of this.
2006 was much slower than I planned for it to be. I did a lot of stuff. But, it was much different than that to which I am accustomed. It started out with a torn ACL. I am sure most of you are tired of hearing me moan about that. I only skied once last year. I didn’t go to the Auto Show in Detroit last year. I didn’t organize any major trips last year. I didn’t even work for most of the year. I did travel about 8000 miles across the USA. I have been to a couple of other places. But for me, life has slowed to a snail’s pace.
Here I sit in 2007 on the 12th day thereof. I am in the middle of nowhere. I mean literally; if you go to nowhere, take a left, and travel another 30 miles, you’ll find yourself sitting right beside me. It’s pretty quite except for the occasional car of someone lost or passing through. Tim Brown is sitting by himself waiting for a deer to shoot. And yes tree huggers, I will shoot the hell out of one if I see it. Then, I will eat the meat. If I knew how, I would make a jacket out of it and maybe a pair of shoes. I might even just shoot it for sport. Just kidding, I wanted to say that to make some folks gasp. John Kerry’s and Michael Moore’s, you better be praying that Bambi doesn’t swing through here.
I sit and wait. 2006 for me was a year of learning through great pain. I am praying that 2007 is different. I believe it will be. I am still waiting for some things. I still am human; that I would like to change. I don’t see it happening. I suspect I will struggle like the rest of you until I leave this place where God has put me with great purpose and by divine design.
It is against my nature to sit and wait on life, on deer, on anything. But, god isn’t concerned with what I like or dislike. He is doing something greater. There is a bigger picture. And what He does, I have discovered, is actually what I desired in the first place. So, I guess I will wait on a deer. If it comes, I’ll shoot it. If not, I’ll enjoy this slow-paced part of my journey. There is joy in us and joy all around us. Often, I need to be slowed down to see it.
I used to make fun of my dad for loving to be down here. Something strange is happening to me. I am learning to like it. This is from where I came. This is my family. This is a strange new concept for me. God just keeps surprising me.
Just to make sure you got the picture, I have the computer on the left shoulder, The rifle over the left shoulder. A red, Earnhardt Jr. on the right shoulder (Jr. would die if he knew I didn’t have Budweiser in that cooler) cookies in one hand, my Glock on my right hip, sportin’ my Maui Jim sunglasses, in my new boots, with my Levi’s, and I have my phone. Look out deer! Here I come. It is also important to note that my dad had to de-scent me earlier. I didn’t know that I was going hunting this morning. I showered, put some gel in my hair, and put some cologne on. He sprayed this stuff all over me that neutralized my scent. Then he sprayed some stuff on me that smelled like cedar. I smell like a Christmas tree right now.
I trod over to the corner of my dad’s property. There, just ahead is his hunting shack that he built. It is a lot like the Taj MaShack. It has a leather, Lane, office chair in it. I am currently sitting in it. This is roughing it. Oddly enough, I am typing on my computer in the shack.
It is quite obvious that there are several things wrong with this picture, too many to list; although, my list is a good start. Just for kicks and giggles, I am also wearing Banana Republic underwear and an Ashcroft golf pullover. I hope this doesn’t make me sound pretentious. I am just quite humored by all of this.
2006 was much slower than I planned for it to be. I did a lot of stuff. But, it was much different than that to which I am accustomed. It started out with a torn ACL. I am sure most of you are tired of hearing me moan about that. I only skied once last year. I didn’t go to the Auto Show in Detroit last year. I didn’t organize any major trips last year. I didn’t even work for most of the year. I did travel about 8000 miles across the USA. I have been to a couple of other places. But for me, life has slowed to a snail’s pace.
Here I sit in 2007 on the 12th day thereof. I am in the middle of nowhere. I mean literally; if you go to nowhere, take a left, and travel another 30 miles, you’ll find yourself sitting right beside me. It’s pretty quite except for the occasional car of someone lost or passing through. Tim Brown is sitting by himself waiting for a deer to shoot. And yes tree huggers, I will shoot the hell out of one if I see it. Then, I will eat the meat. If I knew how, I would make a jacket out of it and maybe a pair of shoes. I might even just shoot it for sport. Just kidding, I wanted to say that to make some folks gasp. John Kerry’s and Michael Moore’s, you better be praying that Bambi doesn’t swing through here.
I sit and wait. 2006 for me was a year of learning through great pain. I am praying that 2007 is different. I believe it will be. I am still waiting for some things. I still am human; that I would like to change. I don’t see it happening. I suspect I will struggle like the rest of you until I leave this place where God has put me with great purpose and by divine design.
It is against my nature to sit and wait on life, on deer, on anything. But, god isn’t concerned with what I like or dislike. He is doing something greater. There is a bigger picture. And what He does, I have discovered, is actually what I desired in the first place. So, I guess I will wait on a deer. If it comes, I’ll shoot it. If not, I’ll enjoy this slow-paced part of my journey. There is joy in us and joy all around us. Often, I need to be slowed down to see it.
I used to make fun of my dad for loving to be down here. Something strange is happening to me. I am learning to like it. This is from where I came. This is my family. This is a strange new concept for me. God just keeps surprising me.
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