Barrie, my Chum
Sure I can call him that, but I haven't seen very much of him lately. On the other hand, I'm aware of his presence, for even if I don't get to see too much of him, Barrie has a habit of sending me rather amusing emails. Which I enjoy no end, and then pass along to others of my email friends. Here's the text of his latest offering:Not bad, right? Barrie is about 76 years of age now; from my perspective not that old, actually. We first met some dozen years back. He was a regular hiker in the ravine, knew so many of the other long-time and frequent hikers, all of whom, like Barrie, had a companion dog. Barrie's dog and side-kick was a golden retriever named Della who has since been "put down", poor thing, as her health had deteriorated beyond endurance. His endurance, and hers.
Subject: US GENERAL
At the US War College, a General is a guest lecturer and tells the class
of officers that the session will focus on potential problems and the
resulting strategies.
One of the officers in the class begins by asking the first question,
"Will we have to fight in a World War Three, Sir?"
"Yes, gentlemen, it looks like you will," answers the General.
"And who will be our enemy, General?" another officer asks.
"The likelihood is that it will be China."
The class is attentive, and finally one officer asks,
"But General, we are 280 million people and they are about 1.5
billion. How can we possibly win?"
"Well," replies the General, "Think about it. In modern war, it is not
the quantity, but the quality that is the key. For example, in the Middle
East, 5 million Jews have been fighting against 50 million Arabs, and the
Jews have been victorious every time."
"But sir," asks the inquisitive officer, "Do we have enough Jews?
Barrie was on line, using the Internet and communicating with people far and wide through email updates well before most people thought of these possibilities; no grass grew under his sturdy feet. Barrie was in very good physical shape, and in even better mental shape. His mind was sharp, reflecting his keen intelligence. Unlike most people one meets he had a wide-ranging interest in world affairs and a spirited conversation was always available upon contact.
Barrie enjoyed riding his bicycle around and about. He volunteered as a "ravine-minder" for the local community. A hail-fellow, well-met kind of person, he knew everyone on the street as intimately as possible, and everyone knew Barrie for he was always there, up front and curious. He loved trips to New Hampshire, enjoyed climbing the various peaks, and hiking all manner of trails. And of course, there is Suzanne, his wife.
We see Suzanne hiking through the ravine occasionally, with a borrowed dog, from a neighbour across the street from them. Barrie never ventures out into the ravine any more. He doesn't ride his bicycle. He no longer goes for trips to New Hampshire or anywhere else, for that matter. He has gained weight, although he still has a distinguished, almost debonaire, ladies' man air about him, and his ironic sense of humour is intact. He is as careful in his selection of sartorial choices as ever. But Barrie has turned inward, the irony is tinged with bitterness at the passage of time, his frail physical state.
He had a prostate cancer some five years ago, followed by treatment, after which he never quite regained his physical stamina, his belief in himself. And since there is an age gap of about twenty years between him and Suzanne, he rarely accompanies her on the many outings she takes. Daily outings, or group activities with other hikers in diverse locations, or month-long trips abroad to bicycle, hike, climb and generally enjoy the good things in life.
We think of Barrie, often. Perhaps when he put Della down something of him was buried with her.
posted by Pieface @ Friday, May 26, 2006
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