On a Jeep trip to the Yukon, in 2011, I suddenly discover the “free spirit” phenomena; it’s not a myth, it actually does exist, and her name was Carol. We are a group of maybe ten jeep adventurers now walking towards the admission area to partake in a glacier tour, on massive tundra wheeled behemoths.
Picture a parking lot about as large and wide as ten football fields. Naturally, to keep all of us together, Mike (Iron Cowboy) parks about as far away as one can get to the admissions area.
The group stays together walking as the crow flies, towards the admissions area. Carol, on the other hand suddenly darts, in a totally different direction from the group. I look on as she continues making her own “packman” path towards the same destination.
And then I ask? Where is she going. The same place? Oh, don’t worry about Carol, they say, – that’s when I first heard it, “she’s a free spirit!” Ahaaa! Up until this point I didn’t really quite believe that “free spirits” existed but, suddenly it also occurred to me that I also married one. Patti will do the same thing.
All those years spent in the military, I saw every one pretty much zig when it was time to zig and zag when it was time to zag. That all changed with living with Patti. Here is what I’ve discovered being married to a “free spirit “. A free spirit takes things literally, most of the time, like for example. Once when we sailed our boat into Mexican waters she commented that, “now she could safely go down and remove those little tags they put on pillows and such, the ones that say, do not remove.” She follows rules to the eighth degree. She is a rule follower. Not that rules are bad. She always follows them – like when mixing the correct amounts of anything, soap, flour, water. She also sorts every single recyclable she can get a hold of. She insists on certain things like that the word “thong” only apply to footwear. And you will never, ever, find anything expired in her refrigerator or pantry.
- They are also aggressively independent. Perhaps the most commonly known sign of a true free spirit. They walk to the beat of their own drum. …
- They do not enjoy fear…..especially anytime they are not in control like behind the wheel of anything mechanized or with sails.
- They know what they stand for. …
- They have a deep appreciation for certain things in life.
- They love family, friends, and grandchildren immensely.
“A soulmate usually only comes around once in your life, to shake things up and show you true love, and to stand up to you in ways no one has ever done before. They adore you, yet challenge you. It’s not always peaches and cream, sometimes it’s roses and thorns. So just to be perfectly clear here.” In my opinion and experience, marrying a free spirit is always a good thing.
Happy thanksgiving 2020
Trawlercat
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