It's Not All Wine and Roses

I think it's inevitable that at some point in the midst of the hiker's hike, the time will come that the "Home Office" becomes a little irritated. There's not really any rhyme or reason behind it, other than that it's just... a lot.

A lot of prioritizing the hiker's needs above everything...

A lot of taking care of all the crappy things no one really wants to deal with...

A lot of stress trying to make sure that packages get where they're supposed to, lodging gets booked in trail towns, making transportation arrangements, getting taxes done, getting bills paid... The list is long.

Trust me. I know this happens and I was not surprised by it.

It doesn't help that the "Home Office" just kept ignoring the irritation until it couldn't be ignored any more.

As you might imagine, in a time of broken, crackly, shortened, intermittent communications, the result of all this is a somewhat terse, slightly passive-aggressive comment. Just sort of an "icebreaker" of sorts to start the conversation. lol.

Not my finest hour, to be sure. But it could have been worse.

I could have spent an inordinate amount of time blasting Carly Simon or Olivia Rodrigo, but I didn't.

I could have spent a couple weeks giving him crappy snacks or "forgetting" desserts. I didn't. At least not intentionally... I swear!

I honestly don't know how it happened, but apparently, his Grand Lake resupply was missing coffee AND olive oil. This was definitely accidental, but it does kind of illustrate my point:

"Boy, if I was dependent on someone to literally provide me with sustenance and vital necessities, I would probably be extraordinarily sure that they truly understood how appreciated and valued they were to me..." - Me, in my head.

The irony of it all is that I actually do know. It's just that sometimes, you need to hear it.

And lest I leave you with the impression that there was more drama involved than there was, you can be sure that there was not.

Because it really doesn't take a lot to remind a hiker that they should be EXPRESSING appreciation for all the effort the Home Office makes for them. They know. They're just focused on the hike. But they know...

Cheers to that!