This is not the post that you thought it would be.
You might expect me to complain about the drinking habits of boaters. It wouldn’t be out of character if I did.
I’m not.
I want only to explain. We have friends, quite a few here and along the way, that subsist mainly on alcohol. It’s easy, especially for somebody like me, to judge them. Maybe it’s easy for you. Maybe your beliefs or upbringing have made you a judgmental person, as they have me. If you use the term “those people”, it’s a sign. I’m sorry, I do. I’m trying to grow as a person. I hope you are, too.
I wrote a long time ago about My New Drunk Friends. I never told you why.
The small one of the Scoundrels, he lost a wife. Young. Suddenly. The love of his life. He raised a baby girl by himself. Could you have done that? Judge that. Later he had a horrible vehicle accident and nearly lost a leg. He’s in crushing pain all day, every day. Extraordinary emotional and physical pain every day. What would you do? Judge that.
The big one, the other Scoundrel, his story is half the same and half different.
He was kidnapped by a serial killer as a teen. He was held for a day or two. The killer bragged about his exploits and told of his plans for my friend, all about how he would die. Many hours of details. Pure horror.
My friend managed to escape. He ran through the desert, pursued for miles, he ran for hours from the night, into the day, until he collapsed. He was sure that he would die alone in the desert. Some hours later he awakened in the night and saw lights, managed to walk and then crawl to them and was saved. They caught the killer. How would you react? Judge that.
Some years later he was married. Things weren’t too good. He and his wife were fighting in the car and she slid the car sideways into a tree, he says in an attempt to murder him. He lost quite a bit of flesh and some bone in the accident. I think there was a brain injury as well. He is in crushing pain all day, every day. Serious emotional scarring and relentless physical pain every day. What would you do?
Judge that.
My third friend has circumnavigated 3 1/2 times. That is notable. He doesn’t get drunk, but he drinks all afternoon, every afternoon.
He doesn’t have any huge physical pain. It’s all emotional.
40 years ago he was married to the love of his life. He believes that there will be only one for each of us and he had his already. He wanted children but she was reluctant. He eventually convinced her to get pregnant. She didn’t tell him that she had a health problem that would likely make a pregnancy not viable. That was the cause of her reluctance. He didn’t know.
She died in childbirth. He thinks it was his fault. He thinks that he killed the one love of his life. Several hours later the baby died in his arms. What would you do then? How would you react? Judge that.
Judge that.
He bought a boat and sailed away and he drinks every day.
The Scoundrels bought a boat and sailed away and they drink every day.
Abhorrent behavior? Well yes and no. Abnormal there, but perfectly normal here.
Judge that.
