My friends, Kay & Stephen, at whose home I rolf when I am here in Tulsa, have been hiking in the mountains of Colorado for the past couple of weeks. Stephen has been posting videos of their adventure from time to time and I have enjoyed seeing them, especially the one from yesterday.

Stephen and Kay have what you might call different styles of hiking. Stephen is the Master of the Saunter and he stops to photograph, or, just admire, the scenery surrounding them. For Kay, hiking is more like a Marine Corps forced march and she blasts forward, charging full-out up that trail, like she’s delivering a satchel for the Pony Express, or she’s got a pocketful of plutonium she’s got to unload before it burns her leg off. From the video Stephen posted yesterday, what we see is the back side of Kay 50 yards ahead and we hear him muttering about the beauty of the mountains and the spectacular view of the canyon below. Occasionally, Kay looks back over her shoulder to make sure Stephen is still there, that he hasn’t been clawed and chewed up by a bear, nor has he slipped off into the canyon and river below. Whenever she looks back to check on him, we hear Stephen, in that wonderful British accent of his, shout out, “CARRY ON, McDUFF!” It is comforting to me in an odd way. I am not entirely positive of just what that means, but I assume it’s from a movie or book I’ve not seen or read. Still, I understand it and it makes me smile.

What if, at the moment we leave this life, we get to feel every hug we have ever given, ever received? What if we get to hear every laugh that has made us laugh out loud, too? What if, rather than seeing our own silly little life flash before our eyes, we get to see every majestic sunset, each dazzling, heart-stopping sunrise, every gathering of birds, every ocean’s surf blasting and foaming against the rocks, every salmon leaping in a silvery arc out of a quiet river in the mist of early morning? What if we get to hear the joyful secret of every baby’s first laugh? What if we get to witness a tiny bee’s exploration of the most luscious flower? What if we get to see the faces of people who’ve heard our stories over and over and still laughed anyway? What if we get to watch all the dogs we have ever adored, their hearts full of mischief and love, running full-out and strong on the beach? What if we get to smell, once more, the inside of a barn, run our hands across the smooth, worn leather of a saddle, and see a new mama horse nuzzling her foal? What if all of our senses are suddenly bombarded with all of those sights and smells and sounds and feelings, those things and moments which have made our breath catch in our throats, the ones that brought us to tears and to joy all at once – what if?

If all those things are true, if all those things happen to us with our final breath, it really might not be a bad way to go. What if, suddenly, right at the end of it all, we realize with such clarity that the whole thing has been so exquisite, just so perfect in all of its joy and angst and wonder and glory, that the very last thing slipping out in a whisper from our lips is the the only thing left to say, the greatest prayer of all: THANK YOU. That’s what I’m thinking. JS Continue reading →