A Walk in the Woods

Friday I pulled up at a red light and when I glanced over at the truck waiting next to me, the 40-something driver winked at me! I smiled, thinking at first that I knew him. I didn’t but he brighten my day and he knew it. If more guys understood the power of winking at a woman, they’d practice in front of a mirror until they've perfected the flirty art form. Growing up, my older brother had a friend who winked at me every time I saw him and I got so tongued around him, I couldn’t talk. He was a Native American---we called them Indians in those days---and it didn’t help that he was movie-star handsome with high cheek bones, beautiful baby-smooth skin and dark, dancing eyes. The one and only time he tried to kiss me our dog bite his ankle. Between the dog and my brother threatening to fingerprint any boy who came to the house to pick me up for a date, it’s a wonder I went on any at all.

I was on the way to meet my Movie and Lunch Club when I encountered the winker. Can you believe it, as the eighteen of us sat chit-chatting in the theater lobby, another 40-something flirty guy approached us and started asking questions! He was a people person but he was also the promotions director of the theater chain. He asked if he could take our picture and tell our story in an industry publication. We complied and he left us with a promise to send our senior center a copy of the photo and some free passes. 

The movie we saw was a comedy-adventure, A Walk in the Woods with Robert Redford and Nick Nolte. It’s a true story about a celebrated but out-of-shape travel writer and a long-lost friend/recovering alcoholic who attempted to hike the 2,100 miles-long Appalachian Trail. The minute the opening credits rolled saying the movie was based on a book by Bill Bryson I remembered reading it. Bill had come back to America to retire after living aboard for several decades and when asked why he wanted to take this rugged trip at his age he said, “I’m tired of life being about ailments and funerals. I want to push myself.” He made the decision to go after sticking his foot in his mouth at a funeral where a widow thanked him for coming and he told her it was his pleasure to be there. Oops! The widow’s facial expressions in the film and the classic nature of the screw-up made it a great laugh line. We widows have all been there, done that with people saying things that were better left unsaid.

The movie has lots of things to laugh about and two dialogue exchanges stuck in my mind long enough to get home and look them up: 1) Nolte’s character Steven said: “You know what I look for in a female these days? A heartbeat and a full set of limbs.” Bryson answered back, “I’ve got to hand it to you, Steven. Most people lower their standards as they age. You’ve raised yours.” The second line I liked came after Bryson was telling Steven about the rock formations and Steven wanted to know how he knew all that stuff. Bryson replied, “There are these things called books, it’s like television for smart people.” This movie is the closest I’ll ever get to the Appalachian Trail and there were some great panoramic views. It isn’t meant to be an advocacy film for wilderness conservation, but it is all the same. The fragile nature and beauty of the Trail was hard to ignore even with two strong actors on the screen. 

After the movie we had lunch at a place I go often enough to have a rewards card. Bingo! My card was full and my chicken quesadilla was on the house. What a wonderful day I was having….until I drove away from the restaurant and something made me think of the very last words I said to my husband. Maybe it was a song on the radio, maybe the restaurant itself triggered the thought since it was one of my husband’s favorites. Maybe it was survivor’s guilt for having such a good time. Whatever it was that brought the melancholy moment that threatened to take the joy of the day away, I fought back. My eyes got moist but no tears materialized. I experienced that jaw-tightening thing that happens to widows when you know you can’t allow yourself to wade back into the darkness. I hate when that happens. A fleeting, bad memory should never haunt a good day.

When I got home I grabbed the dog and we went for a walk on the White Pines Trail. It might not be as pretty or as challenging as the Appalachian Trail but I like the fact that instead of bears we encountered milk cows. And I liked the fact that I spent the walk trying to remember all the men I've encountered in my life who were winkers. ©

 "They say the Appalachian Trail is like life. You don't know what's going to come next 

but you give it your best shot." 

Bill Bryon