child of the wild

channel 9, public broadcasting, sesame street, mr. rogers, you remember it.
anyway, they've been airing for the past i don't know how long a show called 'living in the wild' or something like that, and i'm willing to bet that just about all of you have seen it. i know at least a few of you have 'cause we've watched it together.
the story follows a guy by the name of Dick something-or-other as he heads off into the Alaskan wilderness to build a cabin and live for the next 30 years. ring a bell?
we watch as he films himself building a cabin by hand with relatively primitve tools, all by himself, at the age of 51. this dude is the man. every time i've seen it i just can't get over how this guy actually did all that stuff himself, and how much of a wuss i am. i mean, sure i've gone backpacking overnight by myself. but i didn't stay any longer than the things i packed would last me. this guy (dick) goes off and grows his own pickin' plantation, and then lives off it!
as i said he shoots the footage himself, with a tripod mounted camera, and the result is the grainiest crapiest footage you've ever seen. but you can't even stop to care about it. this man represents quality by his own actions. he requires no special effects, no high end equipment, no make up artist, no promoting period, no 8x12's, nothing but two hands, and a will to live. and yet without any of those things, here we are, reading and writing about him as if he were ghandi.

anyway, you can draw the obvious conclusion that this was a man worthy of emulation. he's never spoken a word to me, yet i am more impressed with his actions than i ever was with any sermon preached, if we make make the jump here between preaching, and living.

Dick was a well rounded guy. my favorite quote in the show comes up while he is building hinges for the front door of his cabin, "too many men work on parts of things, i like to finish a job to completion." how crazy is that! its like he just called out and challenged every stinkin' male in the united states, and then called their bluff.
not a guy that has seen that show wasn't impressed. every one of them when i bring it up is "dude, he was awesome."

i guess the only reason i bring this up is because i'm about to go change the oil on my car. and for whatever reason, i feel manlier than the guys i see at the lube shops in town getting their oil changed by some girl (yes, girls. i know this becuase i had two good friends in high school, girls, who both would constantly come in with muffler burns from changing peoples oil. mainly guys oil)
anyway, changing oil is pretty far from living in the wilderness by yourself. but at the same time, living by yourself doesn't do much for you if you don't have Christ. you're just alone.

later.

ps. don't forget to change your oil every 3,000 miles.

who says i don't offer good advice?