
Some folks are born made to wave the flag
Ooh, they’re red, white and blue
And when the band plays “Hail to the chief”
Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord
It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no senator’s son, son
It ain’t me, it ain’t me; I ain’t no fortunate one, no
Some folks are born silver spoon in hand
Lord, don’t they help themselves, oh
But when the taxman comes to the door
Lord, the house looks like a rummage sale, yes
It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no millionaire’s son, no
It ain’t me, it ain’t me; I ain’t no fortunate one, no
Yeah!
Some folks inherit star spangled eyes
Ooh, they send you down to war, Lord
And when you ask them, “How much should we give?”
Ooh, they only answer more! more! more! Yo
It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no military son, son
It ain’t me, it ain’t me; I ain’t no fortunate one, one
It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no fortunate one, no no no
It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no fortunate son, no no no
Fortunate Son – Creedence Clearwater Revival
How do you measure wealth? Is it a sum of the dollars in your bank account, the value of the car in your driveway or the number of bedrooms in your house? Perhaps you can count your blessings by the number of friends who come to visit on a Friday night. By modern standards I have nothing to show for my 53+ years of life, but if that is the prism one must look through to find ones wealth than I ain’t no fortunate one.

I drive a 30 year old vehicle and I have no house or apartment. What few friends I have cannot come to see me on a Friday night as I never know where I will be or where they could come to. My bank account is small but I have enough for me and mine. Every belonging I have in this world would fit in the smallest u haul trailer, and there is no silver spoon in my hand. And yet, all this is what I feel makes me a fortunate one.
All I ask for is what I can earn. Through hard work I make my way through this life with one goal in mind, I bother no one and I ask the same in return. It’s a simple goal and one that is easy to fulfill, at least for some people. For others their goal seems to be to push themselves upon others as if their ideals and thoughts are the only way to live, the only way that makes sense.
Sometimes those people are in a position that we gave them complete with all the power that goes with it. We put them there to represent us yet they take it upon themselves to ignore the will of the masses and lead us like sheep. Still, who are the fools? The people in power or the ones who continue to put them there? I think you know the answer.
I am no leader but neither am I a follower. I am my own representative with my own goals. I must follow the laws of my country as I should, but I don’t have to like all of them. I could become active in the political discourse, write my Senator or Rep to voice my opinion, but instead I shall follow the path that I hope will lead me to the lifestyle that best suits my goals. As much independence as I can muster. It’s a long road to pass but I shall not falter.

Like most people my will is not always my friend, not always as strong as I would like. Some days I struggle to overcome the daily slights and minor attacks on my well being. Other days no amount of bad tidings could rupture the bubble of hope surrounding me. Finding the middle ground between both days would be the greatest blessing but the gate to that yard eludes me to date. Even so, I still lean harder to the optimistic side and that is what pushes me forward towards the light. I have never been a quitter and I won’t start now.
I’ve spoken before about the idea of a boat, an escape capsule of sorts that could deliver me anywhere I fancy. I all but gave up on that dream when I became to zealous and purchased a boat not suited to my goal and then sold it. I realize now the folly of my near sighted plan and how much I must give up if I wish to reach the ultimate realization of my dream. I will not make that mistake again.
For now I will satisfy myself with all there is to see and do as I travel the highways of this country. I will escape to the outdoors as much as I can and satiate my thirst for freedom as best I can. As much as I have planned for this vacation or that, envisioned myself living another lifestyle, I keep coming back to one dream…I will never be satisfied until I sail away from the USA, perhaps forever. The day that happens, will I then be the fortunate one? We shall see…
Sounds to me John that you’re a rich man in all that matters. You know your own mind and heart. I’m with you on trying to find the blessings in that elusive middle ground that leads to peace and contentment. Cheers my friend.
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I just need to find more patience, something I have never been good at.
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I think Miriam needs to come see you in the States,,,,,unless she’s married!
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Unfortunately for me all the best women are already taken!
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We are all stuck with “He who dies with the most toys wins” mentality. Add to that, people who think that they are supposed to be taken care of, overpay for things, jacking up the price for the rest of us. Then we have to overpay because the people we need have to cover their rears from lawsuits filed by people trying to get a work free life. There will be an ugly day of reckoning on the horizon where those being taken care of will have to learn to do without. Then, maybe the population will learn the difference between WANTS and NEEDS. Until then, too many “leaders” will try to LOOK good to the wrong people.
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I just want a house no one can take away from me, a few cheap toys and space to live.
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Just listened to Triumph’s “Fight the Good Fight” today. See if it applies…
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That was my favorite song in high school! I lost much of my hearing at that concert in the civic center in Portland!
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Amen!
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You can’t take it with you John, and you certainly don’t want to leave it behind for the taxman to take and waste.
I totally agree with all that Miriam and Bill have said.
It’s good to meet a rich man! And a rich dog!
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Your so kind Peter! And yes wealth is a measure of value attained through good deeds and thoughts, gifts of kindness and sacrifice directly towards an individual not a charity.
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Peter, I agree!
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JDR, I miss your blog posts and pics. I have not heard from you in awhile and I hope you’re doing ok. This post really got to me. I love this song and it makes me think of my dad every time. He was in the Nam and came back different like me I think. I came back different, with a need to continue to fight. But I’m trying to get past all that. Wish you could know how much that Jeep inspires me. I don’t know if you read my posts, but we signed up for Baja Ha-Ha today and we leave 05 Nov. I’m ready. We’re going to Paso Robles for the last time in awhile and I specifically came to your site to see if I could get your a big CAB and send it to you in Maine to say thanks for all your cool posts and photos. If so, you need to send me an address to mail it to, your work address would work and you could get the package there? Put it in comments on my site or let me know you want me to give you an email address-
PS: You should think about whether you might JEEP down Baja in spring or summer of “20” and meet us to go sailing. We could burn steaks and drink some CAB…but no Guns, sorry-
Chad
http://www.LiveFree2SailFast.com
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Camping trip on the coast of Maine the first week of June with many pics of day and night!
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