‘Well, Doc, you know, things get busy…’

‘No, I wouldn’t know too much about that. Busy-ness, that is.’

‘Oh. No, I guess not. Well, anyway, I’m here now. And it’s nice to see you.’

‘Good to see you, too, young man. Say, I hear interesting things have been happening out there in the world lately.’

‘Oh, geez, Doc, it’s pretty awful. Seems like more bad and crazy news every day, sometimes every hour. I doubt there’s ever been a time this bad, this stressful.’

‘Now, I wouldn’t be so sure about that,’ said Doc. ‘Why, when I was a youngster like you I heard about a little dust-up called the Civil War, happened just a few years before I came along. Folks were still talking about that, recovering from it—hundreds of thousands of deaths—decades later. Then there was the Great War, ‘the war to end all wars’, then after that another Great War to end all wars. And in between there was the Stock Market Crash, whatever that is, and then the Great Depression, where people were jumping out of windows and living in tents and box cars. Years and years went by before some folks could find a job at all. And the Dust Bowl was in there, too, where it seemed like it didn’t rain forever, and a lot of critters like me barely survived at all. Or didn’t. And then… and then… and then…’

Well, Doc went on like that for a good long while. He’s usually pretty quiet, which is one of the things I like about him, but when he gets started—especially if I haven’t dropped by for a while—well, it can be hard to shut him up. Which is unusual for a therapist. Or a stump. At some point I interrupted, or tried to.

‘Now hold on, Doc, I don’t know…’

‘That’s right, you don’t, young fella. You just don’t know. You haven’t been around long enough, seen enough, heard enough, been quiet enough to listen and pay attention, to know what I know. You haven’t seen all the ups and downs, the disasters and struggles, the storms and winds and droughts of life, the times that are hard—terribly hard—for lots of people even during what you call the ‘good times.’ It’s called perspective. And it’s one of the things an old character like me has. Got it the hard way.’

‘So you’re saying…’

‘I’m saying to hang in there. Yes, sure, things are bad right now. But they’ve been plenty bad before. Worse, I’d say. And folks got through them, simply by not giving up. By believing in themselves. Believing in life, with all its trib, tribulations—is that the right word? But the point is, even if you can’t see what comes next, can’t predict it, can’t even predict the darn weather, you hang in there. You grip tight with your roots. You bend in the wind but don’t break. You support your friends and help them stand up. And you just keep reaching for the light. You got that?’

Well, yeah. I guess I got it. I didn’t ask Doc any more questions, ‘cause I didn’t want any more speeches. Geez, I thought therapists were supposed to be good listeners.

‘One more thing,’ said Doc Stump, unprompted. ‘All surprises aren’t bad ones, you know. Sometimes, maybe when you least expect it, good surprises can come along, too. Can break right through the bad news, the bad weather. If you just stay ready, and hang in there long enough to let ‘em. Understand? So you do that, ya hear?’

Yup, I heard. And then I just sat there quietly for awhile. Doc was quiet, too, thank goodness. And I thought to myself, you know, I don’t think most therapists—most mental health professionals—would let you sit on their lap during a session. How cool is that?

(This is my latest Substack post. You can subscribe to me at Notes From The Campfire@douglaswoodauthor. I’d appreciate it!)