Grazing Grace

THE COST OF BEING A PIONEER

BY GREG A. LANE

Several years ago, when my son first got his driver’s permit, he and I packed up some camping gear and set out on a “Pioneer Weekend” trip to Tishomingo State Park in Mississippi. Our main objective? To catch fish and live off the land like the early pioneers.

When we got to the park, we went to the ranger’s office to purchase our Mississippi fishing licenses. It cost us $20.50 for two licenses. I thought that was a little steep back in those days, but, ultimately, it was a small price to pay for me and my son to discover the pioneer within us. Besides, $20.50 was about how much we would have spent at a local restaurant if we ordered a fish plate.

Oh, and we did have to buy some bait and lures to catch those fish. That cost us around $20. Oops! I almost forgot … we also had to buy a couple of new rods and reels. I mean, what good does it do to have the best lures in the land without a fancy new rod and reel to attach them to? That cost us about $40. Alright, I think that about covers it. The grand total was now at $80.50. But, we also have to include $30 for the price of gas to Tishomingo and another $10 for snacks we bought at a convenience store on the way. That pushed the grand total for the trip to $120.50. Well, that’s a little bit more than the price of the fish plate at the local restaurant, but I was certain the thrill of living off the land would be well worth it.

After we set up our tent at our camping spot, we went straight to fishing. After all, if we were going to eat supper that night we were completely dependent on our skills as pioneers and fishermen!

I hate to say it, but we were unsuccessful on our first day of fishing. We didn’t get a single bite all afternoon. Our stomachs were empty and growling. Our convenience store snacks had run their course hours earlier, giving us a sugar rush, and then the resulting crash. I guess it’s a good thing I brought along a few extra provisions, just in case we weren’t successful. So much for living like a pioneer our first night. (Do you think pioneers had potato chips, Pop Tarts and Mountain Dew back in the day?) I forgot to include the price of that bag of snacks into our grand total amount. Grand Total for our pioneer weekend: $140.50. Oh! I also forgot to include the cost of the campsite for two days to the grand total. Let’s just make it an even $200.

We got up early the next morning, ate a Pop Tart, and washed it down with Mountain Dew, then headed to all the fishing spots around Lake Tishomingo. Once again, we were completely unsuccessful … the fish just weren’t biting! What’s a pioneer to do? We decided to take a break from fishing and we did some hiking and exploring. At least in that respect we were being true pioneers … forging new pathways and charting out new territories. (Actually, just to be honest, we stayed on the clearly marked trails throughout the park.)

A couple of hours later, we headed back to the lake to go fishing. There was no way we were going to experience two nights in a row of pioneer shame, with nothing to cook on the campfire. We were determined!

As luck would have it, we actually began to catch some fish this time! My son caught two bass and I also caught two bass. Four fish fillets would be on the campfire that night! The two of us pioneers were starting to feel a sense of accomplishment.

One problem though. While I was reeling my Rooster-Tail lure in, it got snagged close to the bank. I jerked it really hard and that lure came flying back at me at rocket speed! I felt a sting in my hand and looked down to see the treble hook of that lure deeply embedded in my right knuckle. I called out to my son, “I'm gonna need your help!” He came over and saw what I had done. “What do you want me to do?” he asked with a concerned look on his face. I replied, “I’ve heard about this sort of thing before. I need you to push this hook on through my skin and when the barb comes through we’ll snip it off with wire cutters." (Now, doesn't that sound just like something a couple of rough and rugged pioneers would have done back in the old days?)

My son grabbed the hook and started to push on it ... and I almost fainted. That hook was buried deep! I began to feel faint every time I looked at the lure. I was also feeling a little queasy. (So much for being a rough and rugged pioneer.) My son knew he couldn’t do what needed to be done. We had no other recourse. We had to go to the nearest emergency room … 30 miles away.

I was feeling too faint to drive so my son (the one who just got his driver’s permit a week earlier ... the one who had very little driving experience) had to drive his faint-hearted father to a city he’d never been to, down streets he was completely unfamiliar with. He said, “Dad what should I do if you faint?” I replied, “Just pull off the side of the road until I come to.”

When we stepped inside the Emergency room doors in the neighboring city, there were people there who were struggling with “life-and-death” issues, from gunshot wounds to pneumonia … and there I was with a fishing lure stuck in my knuckle. How embarrassing! A couple of hours later, the hook had been removed and we walked out of that Emergency Room two very humble pioneers.

On the way back to camp we stopped at a grocery store and bought some corn meal and vegetable oil to cook our fish. We also bought some potatoes to fry over the campfire. We were determined we were still going to do what we set out to do, in spite of our setbacks.

We were going to cook over an open campfire like the pioneers of old! After paying $20 for the extra groceries, our pioneer weekend grand total had come to $220.

When we got back to camp, my son had to do all the work by himself because my right hand was bandaged up. He gutted and cleaned the fish, got the campfire going and even cut up the potatoes into French fries. I was so proud of him. My mishap put him in a position where he had to step up to a higher level of maturity and responsibility. Isn’t it interesting how life's struggles can do that for us? We’re just strolling along, doing things the way we’ve always done them, and then trouble comes. Even though we dislike troubles and trials, they usually create opportunities for us to rise up to greater levels of maturity and responsibility. Sometimes, trials even uncover hidden abilities and talents within us that we didn't know we had. Yes, quite often the trials we go through make us better people with greater character. That’s what happened in my son's life that evening. He took on all the responsibility for dinner that night while I nursed my wound. My dark moment gave him a chance to shine.

After all the cooking was done, the fish and French fries he cooked over the campfire were the best-tasting fish and fries I’ve had in my life, even if the meal did cost us $110 each. Well, at least that’s what I thought the grand total had come to ... but I was wrong.

You see, three weeks later, I got the bill from the Emergency room. It was $600. The final tally for our "Pioneer Weekend" was $820. Yes, that’s right … those four bass fillets cost $205 each. But, it was really a small price to pay to see my son grow as a man, and rise to a new level of maturity. And, it was also a small price to pay for me to discover this important fact … I CAN'T AFFORD TO BE A PIONEER!