Photo by Jerry Apps
A line in a Robert Frost poem reads, with a little paraphrasing, “I took the road less traveled and that has made all the difference.” I’ve been thinking about those words. Nearly everyone is affected by the dreaded COVID-19. It is easy to yearn for the old normal, what we knew and enjoyed, at least thought we did.
What is going on today feels like a timeout. When the coach is concerned that the game isn’t going well, and we should stop playing for a bit and think about what to do next. What to do next may not be what we have been doing. Is it time to take a different road, maybe one that is not so well-traveled?
Some of us, along the way, were forced to take another road—because of an accident or an illness in the family. Or something more serious. We didn’t have a chance to choose. The choice was made for us. I was one of those. I had polio which meant I could play no sports in high school or participate in anything requiring much physical effort. I did not want to take another road—but I had to do it or else. I didn’t want to think about the “or else.”
Today, many of us have a choice of a different road to take after this crisis passes. Will we?
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: So many roads to take, which one should it be?
WHERE TO BUY MY BOOKS AND DVDS.
My books are available at your local bookstore or from the Friends of the Patterson Memorial Library in Wild Rose—a fundraiser for them. Phone: 920-622-3835 for prices and ordering.
Patterson Memorial Library
500 Division Street
Wild Rose, WI 54984
barnard@wildroselibrary.
www.wildroselibrary.org
If you live in the western part of the state, stop at Ruth’s home town, Westby and visit Dregne’s.. They have a great selection of my books for sale, or order a book by calling them at 1-877-634-4414.
2 comments:
Hello Professor Apps, I ran across your name in a Christian Science Monitor article today. I did a little research to see if you were the same fellow who I knew at Wisconsin University Extension in 1973-74. My memories of the time are a bit vague. Still, I remember your kind manner, and your fondness for barns, and I treasure the experiences I had with John Ohliger and his occasionally visiting friend, Frank Adams.
In 1975 I began my career at the University of California, Davis University Extension, where I developed programs in ecology, natural history, and land use planning. In 1992 I moved to the Department of Environmental Science and Policy, where I directed a research group, the Information Center for the Environment, until my retirement in 2012. At that point, I went to work for California Governor Jerry Brown, first as Director of his California Strategic Growth Council, and later as Policy Advisor for Sustainable Communities and Conservation. All that long while, the roots I established in the love of nature at UW Extension have sustained my career path.
It is nice to see that you have achieved so much in those passing years and that you remain very active today. All my best wishes for the future
Mike McCoy
Hello Jerry,
I've read all of your books (some books more than once). I also enjoy reading your blog every week.
Thank you for all that you do!!!
Sincerely,
Keith Larsen
Mequon, WI
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