Westward Ho!

Walked and walked and walked and walked...and walked!

So, I can honestly barely read the computer screen right now. My eyes are buggy and totally out of focus. Phantom movements and lights keep dancing across my view. It's a little creepy given the fact that I'm not sick or anything. Oh no...I have been playing Oregon Trail for the last two hours on my stupid cell phone.

Mistake



I started out with a few kids and a wife. As we made our way west, we ran into some hiccups...namely cholera, dysentery, measles, bear attacks, snake bites, thieves, and broken bones. Now typically, I'm not a hardcore slave driver. But, c'mon people, we're on a deadline...Mother Nature doesn't take a break!!! Mind you, I'm sensitive to the fact that Martha has cross bones flashing over her head and Abe continues to have "it hurts" in a bubble over his. The fact of the matter is...not everyone makes it to Oregon. I mean, right at the beginning the narrator guy said that only a small percentage of people made it.

Well, out of five members of my family, two of us made it. We held to the average of history. My son, Abe, was a trooper. He stuck through a repeated broken bone, with only two days to rest. He rose above the horrible diarrhea that his sister unfortunately died from. His mom lost the battle with cholera, but my little guy got through it.

I'm not proud that we left three grave sites along the trail. Perhaps if I had parted with the $16 for medical attention for Emma, she might have made it. Maybe walking instead of a full sprint might have saved my dear wife Martha from passing on from cholera. I don't know. I'm not going to argue with science here people! I just did what I thought was best and unfortunately...we lost some family members.



BUT, when my boy, Abe and I stood on the hill overlooking Oregon...well, I almost tear up just thinking about how proud I was! We made it!

So, let's hear it for Abe. He cost me about a week's worth of time from wandering away and getting lost and resting from broken bones...but he made it!

Well done, son...well done!