I Met a Man

November 2, 2022

I know what you are thinking! Stop it! Yes, the truth is, I met a man… and his wife. I was recently on an Elk hunt with two of my best friends. The elk hunt was a success, but the situation prompted me to ask permission from a landowner; when I did, I was delighted to meet a person who was 100 years old. You read that well, 100 yrs old.

When I drove up to the house, it was dark, and I was afraid. Walking up to a stranger’s place in the dark could be dangerous and lead to me upsetting someone; I do not like conflict, so I was a bit skittish. As I walked up the walkway, I noticed a light was on, and I could see an older couple sitting in the front room, so I felt a little better. The yard was nothing special except for a cow in the front yard and so many barn cats that I knew there were no mice. I walked over to the door, opened the storm door, and gently knocked.

The gentleman looked in my direction and invited me in. I walked into the house and was greeted warmly, both by the man and his wife and by the heat in the house. This older couple liked it warm, I had been in the cold air and was dressed for that, so it was hot for me. I relayed the story to the man and his wife of how we shot an elk and wondered if we could cut across his land to retrieve it. He was more than accommodating as he congratulated me and asked several hunting questions. It was then that he hit me with the news. “I wish I could help you, but I recently turned one hundred years old and found that stuff hard to do.” I am sure my jaw hit the ground; I had never met anyone that age, and he and his wife have been married for 76 years. I sat there for a few minutes, heard how his grandfather started running this property, and listened intently as I enjoyed the moment.

What a blessing this was for me, and it got me thinking. What was it about his story that amazed me? His age was impressive, but the two things that floored me were his time in that house and his marriage. In this world, people don’t set roots the way this man and his wife had, and rarely do we hear of couples staying together as long as they had. They don’t live in a big fancy house or have lovely furniture. What struck me was that they were clearly content—a picture of stability that is rarely seen these days.

It reminded me that what is most important isn’t the money we make, the house we live in, or the fancy things we own. What matters is the legacy we leave. Without more than 5 minutes, I could tell this couple’s estate would run wide and deep for years to come.