During my life I have heard numerous friends complain: “I’m not getting anywhere in life,” or “Oh, I have lost my job, and whatever will I do now,” or “I do not see how I can go on much longer, things are so difficult.” It is always my first inclination to laugh at these poor souls. What do they know of life, of raw survival, or not knowing from one day to the next if you will breathe under another sun? What is there to fear? These unlucky people build their own traps. Not getting anywhere in life? Well, where do you want to get? As Bernard Shaw said: “You must make sure to get what you like, or you will be forced to like what you get.” Many a runner has fallen short of the tape because he did not care—or exert himself—enough to win that victory. What claim has he for complaint? Another better man won, that is all. If you cannot get the first place you would like, then you must like the second place you can get.

As for those who have lost jobs or who see their high standards of living in danger, I say, “So what?” Who on earth or in heaven or down below ever promised us that we would have things easy all our lives? Is a child born clutching a contract guaranteeing him a color television set and two cars in the garage? You will notice that all of these complaints deal exclusively with things. Few seem to despair that they have not achieved all that it was within them to do, but rather take issue with the size of the rewards they have received. I know that the grass is always greener but I have tried to remain content with the size of my pasture, to rejoice when an unexpected plum falls my way. But this is a hard attitude to preserve when one is surrounded by malcontents whose only real goal in life seems to be sure that they have gotten every scrap of “what is coming to them” and who would rather not be bothered with the obvious question (to me, at least) of, “what have you done to deserve it?” Apparently, merely being alive is reason enough, although as you can tell, I quarrel violently with that notion. It is amazing how little one really needs and how quickly you can give the rest up when it becomes necessary. Most of us could stand a little refreshment in this truth.

At any rate, food was at the head of our list there in the forest, and Tim and I spent every waking moment taking care of that problem. We had many other difficulties, but it was rare for us to go hungry—nor is there any reason for any levelheaded person to do so; no matter how lost he is.