Youth And What It Means

Recent days have given the SCTravelersX3 much cause for reflection.  We have had lots of stuff going on around home - including leadership changes in organizations to which we belong, a flurry of activity as the school year winds down, a recent batch of family birthdays and anniversaries  - and then - many "current events" stories that cause us to shake our heads - and other parts!!!  I'm not going to go through all of those in detail but they brought to mind several things we all think about from time to time.  First - a lot of stuff I mentioned above has to do with young folks - people who don't have quite as many accumulated years as others of us.  Thinking about "young people", I got to considering something I read a while back and want to share with you.  It's an essay by Samuel Ullman who lived in the deep South a while back.  (His birthday was April 13th so he might have been included in our April celebrations if he'd been around!!)  Ol' Sam kinda went against the grain when he advocated equal education for black and white kids in Alabama.  That, alone, would have been noteworthy but - Ullman had been a Confederate soldier and his stance on education was taken in the late 1800s!!  He believed in "youth" passionately but the important thing was how he defined it.  He said:

"Youth is not entirely a time of life – it is a state of mind.  It is not wholly a matter of ripe cheek, red lips or supple knees.  It is a temper of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions, a freshness of the deep springs of life.  It means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity, of an appetite for adventure over a love of ease. Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People grow old only by deserting their ideals.

Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up interest wrinkles the soul. Worry, doubt, self-distrust, fear and despair – these are the long, long years that bow the head and turn the growing spirit back to dust. Whatever your years, there is in every being’s heart the love of wonder, the undaunted challenge of events, the unfailing child-like appetite for what is next, and the joy in the game of life. You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope, as old as your despair. In the central place of every heart there is a recording chamber; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer and courage, so long are you young. When the wires are all down and your heart is covered with the snows of pessimism and the ice of cynicism, then, and then only are you grown old."

Read it again, folks!!

But then, I turned to the events that have taken place in recent days - locally, nationally and internationally.  To me, we are seriously shortchanging the development of our young people.  I listen to explanations people give about lots of things today and am absolutely astonished at the evasiveness, the "self-centeredness", the attempts to deflect and the downright "untruths" they don't hesitate to project.  I don't care where you live - U. S. or elsewhere;  what your state, community, city or neighborhood is; what position you happen to hold.  If you distort the truth you are nibbling bits and pieces off of your soul.  John Ruskin, a contemporary of Ullman's, gave us great advice when he said:
 
 "Accustom the children to close accuracy of statement, both as a principle of honor, and accomplishment of language, making truth the test of perfect language and giving the intensity of a moral purpose to the study and art of words; then, carrying the accuracy into all habits of thought and observation, so as always to think of things as they truly are, as far as in us rests.  And it does rest much in our power, for all false thoughts and seeings come mainly of our thinking of what we have no business with, and looking for things we want to see instead of things which ought to be seen. 

In thinking about Ullman and Ruskin I remembered another contemporary of theirs, a lady who should be required study for women wanting to learn more about the groundbreaking female leaders in our country - Mary Esther Harding, M.D.  Although born in England, much of her most influential work was done in the U. S. - including her powerful book "The I and Not I."  That book seems to describe a phenomenon we are seeing all too often in the detachment of people from the consequences of their actions.  An expert in the fields of medicine, psychiatry and sociology, Dr. Harding was a powerful thinker in her day and all three of the three folks we cited here - all born in countries other than our own - have a lot of which to remind us.  Check them out.

Well, I certainly got philosophical with this one, didn't I?  But - periodically we need to step back and take a look at where we are, how we got here and what's next on the itinerary.  Hopefully, we'll be able to concentrate on "TRAVELING" next time.  Come on back soon!! See ya.

What's In A Name?

Well gang,  I've gotta tell ya ...  I got ahead of myself last time we were at the beach and didn't do something I promised!!!  In one of our last posts while were at Litchfield I mentioned we were going to the town of Socastee for a visit.  And then - I totally failed to tell you about our trip there.  A lot of early South Carolina history took place in Socastee (which was the name of the primary Native American tribe in the area and was referred to as "Sawkastee in early writings of the colonists) and it was at the center of land granted by one of the Lords Proprietors to Mr. Percival Pawley.  If you are familiar with the South Carolina coast - or - if you've followed our ramblings here - you probably recognize the name "Pawley" as being the name of the island upon which our cherished Litchfield Beach is located.  Anyway - Mr. Pawley was one of the earliest folks to own property and actually reside in our state.  I'm not even going to attempt to explain the chronology of the events leading to his ownership of this coastal paradise but the grants he received pre-date the founding of South Carolina by about five years.  The date normally cited on the land grant is 1711 but looking back at the early negotiations it appears that the actual transaction took place somewhere around 1665.  The history of the area is spectacularly fascinating so you really need to look into it more deeply.  One of the more interesting things of note was the fact that Mr. Pawley donated land for the building of an Anglican Church in the early 1700s and that church - All Saints -  is still in existence today!!  But - so much took place in this relatively small section of South Carolina!  Development of maritime products - turpentine, tar, timber, wood products of all kinds and much more caused the area to experience a boom in the mid-1800s.  Interestingly, one of the oldest remaining structures from those early days is a general store owned by a man by the name of Sardis.  The interesting part is that one of my old friends, now deceased, (Joe Sardis Dusenbury) was named after Mr. Sardis and was very deeply involved in the  the activities of the coastal area.  Anyway ....  the picture on the top right shows an amazing drawbridge over the Intracoastal Waterway not far from the historic district in Socastee.  But - as always when you are in this area, thoughts tend to drift toward Myrtle Beach.  Of course the enormous tourist area has more glitz per square foot than a sunburned eye could take in.  So - if you happen to be there and need a rest for the soul, go on out to one of the local parks - Huntington Beach or Myrtle Beach.  Our State Park System is really tops and I thought you might like to see a very, very tiny glimpse into one key aspect of most of the parks - their dedication to teaching us about our environment.  There are forty-seven parks (or historic sites) in the system with over 80,000 acres of protected land.  Myrtle Beach State Park is one of the most heavily used - for understandable reasons.  There is so much to do there it is mind-boggling.  Of course the beach area is huge and extremely well equipped with picnic areas, bath-houses, piers and fishing areas.  But there are also tons of things for young folks to do from nature hikes to art or craft lessons and an excellent class-room area for groups seeking more intense study opportunities.  For those of us who are a bit more casual about our studies, though, there are some of the most personable and knowledgeable naturalists you could ever want to meet who will give you a brief overview of the creatures to be found here and quickly take you out to see them.   They also maintain a small but comprehensive aquatic and amphibian life collection so newcomers to the area can get a look at some of the things they are likely to encounter in the tidal pools, swampy areas and ponds.  If you're really lucky, you might arrive at feeding time and see the fish eating their lunch, one of the "slithery things" munching on a deceased mouse or even a starfish having a yummy snack.  Right outside the naturalist center is a wonderful "bird garden" with feeders attracting virtually every kind of small bird (and even some of the larger ones) in the area. As I noted, this is only the tiniest fraction of stuff you will encounter at one of the parks.  Come on down and visit one.  I promise, you'll be glad you did.  See ya.

Temporary Wandering!!

Hi Gang,

No, we haven't dropped of the edge of the earth!!  It's just that we have been so tied up with obligations here at home we haven't had a chance to get on the road too much lately.  Aside from
some rather short mountain and beach excursions we have been pretty 'domestic' lately.  I suppose I got to missing you guys and started thinking about when we would be able to travel together again.  Then I realized - hey! ... it isn't always necessary to be in some exotic locale to stay in touch with your friends!!!  You can always keep them up-to-date on some of the 'goings-on" around here.  So - with that in mind, I thought I'd share a couple of things from our recent activities with you.    Seems like it is just natural to start off with  a few reminders of beautiful Litchfield Beach.  We were there a little over a month ago and shared some photos from our trip to the "Birds of Prey Center" at Awendaw, S. C. with you.  A great place to visit.  We got back home and immediately became immersed in a ton of activity with some of our favorite groups.  I had a chance to participate for the thirteenth and final time in the Fifth Grade play at Satchel Ford Elementary school where we performed "Schoolhouse Rock - Live - Jr." as our friend Ann ended her teaching career.   But things definitely didn't slow down for us!  With Linda and Sherwood heavily involved in their obligations as Vestry Members, Linda with her art work  and Sherwood going to all kinds of artistic and athletic events involving her grandchildren it got downright hectic.  As for me - I'm involved in an organization by the name of "Sertoma" which is a derivative of the words "Service To Mankind."  It is a civic organization and we are involved in quite a few community activities.  One of our main projects is the operation of a camp for speech and hearing impaired and underprivileged children up in the piedmont area of the

Lake Hartwell from Camp Sertoma

state.  But we also support the scholarship, hearing-health promotion and advocacy programs of our national organization.  To provide that support we undertook an ambitious project this year - a "walk" to raise funds.  The event, entitled "Celebrate Sound - Don't Walk In Silence" was held at Saluda Shoals, a beautiful park right outside of Columbia.  It was a lot of work but seven Sertoma clubs participated in this first-ever "joint" sponsorship project so we had some very capable people helping out.  Despite the effort, everyone seemed to come together in a spirit of teamwork and I was absolutely amazed at what was accomplished.  We had hundreds of folks join us in the effort and, on Saturday, April 27th - despite threatening skies and somewhat cooler-than-expected temperatures, the whole throng showed up at the park for the 2.5 mile walk along the gorgeous Saluda River.  Along the way we raised a lot of money that will go toward scholarships to students studying audiology or other hearing-related disciplines, scholarships for hearing impaired students, stipends and grants for affiliated hearing-related organizations, educational programs to promote hearing health and - very importantly - approximately 50% will be returned to Sertoma clubs in our local community to help them in their work right here at home.  My particular club will be sending five children to camp this summer and we are delighted to have the proceeds from this and our other fund-raisers to allow us to work with more children.

Shortly after the walk we had some "down-time" so we took our adopted family to one of our favorite places of all - Riverbanks Zoological Park.  Ironically, the zoo is located not far downriver from where our walk took place.  It is truly an incredible treasure for those of us living in South Carolina and we love sharing it with the world.  In fact, on the day of our visit it seemed like we had some folks from just about every spot on the planet walking around with us!!  I'm not going to do a lot of talking about this beautiful place - but - let me assure you, there is waaaayyyyy more to see here than just the animals.  It is a great spot to visit for a day and I hope if you're ever in the area you will take the opportunity.  These photos show a few of the critters we visited with during the day. The park has remarkably realistic habitats representing every continent and countless countries.  From artic-dwellers such as the penguins to those who make their homes in the arid sands of the deserts in our own Southwest, Africa and Australia the range of species is just amazing.  The amphibian and reptile exhibit is one that contains virtually every kind of creepy-crawly-creature you can imagine - and some you probably can't!!  The aquarium, although relatively small compared to those in Charleston, Atlanta and Baltimore, has displays of aquatic life from the Atlantic and Pacific as well as reef-dwellers from across the planet.  When you think of the astonishing diversity of aquatic life-forms on our planet it makes us realize how tiny our portion of the "living family" is and I hope it makes us all sensitive to our stewardship role in protecting these amazing friends of ours.  A quotation prominently displayed in the aquarium at Riverbanks is a one of my favorites and is by Albert Einstein.  He said: "Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty."    Man!!!  If we could only do even a little bit better at that task think how much more wonderful our planet could be.  Then we might even begin to think about how we could treat each other a little more kindly.  I mean, think about it ...  if we can admire and appreciate those sea anemonies, starfish, angelfish, coral and other strange things, why is it that we feel compelled to be so hostile to people that are essentially the same as ourselves?  I'm thinking we have some work to do on our logic and philosophy folks.  Yeah, we tend to think if they can't program an iPad application, sculpt a "Pieta" or write a symphonic concerto what good can they be.  Well - excuse me - Steve Jobs, Michelangelo or Mozart I'm not - but I still think I have something of my own to offer.  And I think these guys do too.  Let's just figure it all out together.  I'm really not an official "tree-hugger" folks and I don't advocate folding our tents as humans and drying up but I do believe there is a way we can protect the vulnerable life forms on the planet a lot better than we have.  I mean, hey - even if they do nothing else, they almost invariably make us smile when we see them.  And, often,  that is exactly what I need to keep on going!!!!   Of course, as I have made clear, I'm kinda partial to the animals at the zoo - but - there is so much more to see here.  The botanical gardens are another whole day visit that you have to come for some time soon.  During the summer there are musical concerts, art exhibits, lectures, all kinds of "behind-the-scenes" tours and summer apprentice opportunities for kids.  Riverbanks Zoo is simply unparalleled as an enjoyable and educational place to visit.  So - come soon!!!  See ya.