This is a make believe, but could be true, story about a fella I once knew. He was a young at heart senior, who had his shares of ups and downs in life , like us all. Lots of good times and a number of down times that left him with a feeling that something's missing. So far, that sounds like most of us.
Anyway, after some soul searching and having his heart broken one too many times, he decided that he would let the gypsy and carefree kid inside him come out to play and enjoy his sense of freedom. He made several moves in a short period of time, north to south, east to west and always on the lookout for that missing something.
Finally, he decided to do something drastic, so he sold his comfortable, but lonely big house, and bought a houseboat and he became the river drifter, where he enjoyed the lack of responsibility and freedom the river life gave him. His meals consisted of fish, fish and more fish. The monotony of each predictable day soon let him know it was time to move on. As far as I know, he is still drifting.
I believe that unless we fall into the role of accepting life as it is with it's peaks and valleys, we all want to free that younger person within us and escape to that comfortable valley of peace and contentment. A place where we can freely love and accept ourselves and others. A place where there is always something to do, where somebody needs us and where we can also need somebody to share the blissful days of life with, rain or shine. These feelings usually emerge in life when one is confronted with their mortality and the wheels of seeking are set in motion.
We are all drifters, at some time or other, drifting along on the river of no return to that place, just around the bend, that we can finally call home. Let's hope we recognize it when we finally get there.
