When Will I Get It All Done?

Edith Babcock Kokernot

Edith began this brief series of reflections on life experiences and dreams in the early 1970’s, sometime before she turned fifty years old. She continued this essay of reflections in further excerpts, adding to her memories, future aspirations, and inquisitive curiosities a few years later.

Several weeks ago, I saw an article in Life Magazine about a man near my age who had made a list of all the things he wanted to do during his lifetime. Among them were such things as to climb Mt. Whitney, ride an ostrich, visit Zanzibar, learn to fly an airplane, swim the English Channel, learn 5 languages, take a voyage around the world, etc. The list seemed endless and covered at least one whole page, single spaced, double column of Life. I checked off several items on his list of things that even I had done, including the trip to Zanzibar and then I started making my own mental list of things I’d like to do before I’m too old. Finally, I became so enthusiastic, I got my pencil and began making the list in all seriousness.

First, I wrote, “learn to sew.” My conscience was bothering me over that. I had tried to learn how clear back to my high school days and twice since then, hating every lesson, but still, I envied my more talented friends who were saving hundreds of dollars a year making and designing their own creations as well as their daughters. Second on the list was a life-long ambition, why I don’t know, but I would like to ride in a railroad locomotive before they become obsolete, actually the ones I want to ride in are obsolete, the good old black steam engine. Next, scuba dive in the Caribbean, then another conscience-compelling wish, to re-learn algebra and how to divide and multiply fractions. While I have forgotten, learn to speak French, sell a story for a lot of money, well, even for a pittance just to see it in print.

I marveled that there were still so many things left for me to do, for my life has already been packed with fun and adventure, and I don’t feel that there has been much time wasted in it. But to continue, I’d like to visit India and China and Russia, too. I’d like to go to the moon but guess that’s out for this century. As I was writing my list, I began remembering the things I had already done. As I said, adventure has been a part of my life up to now. Perhaps I’m afraid life will become too tame for me in (how I hate this word) ‘middle age’.

As a child, I used to happily watch Frank Buck movies and read articles on his safaris, as well as devouring the book, I Married Adventure, by Olsa Johnson. Later I ‘traveled’ with Lowell Thomas and wore out our National Geographic magazines. I was sure I would never get to travel to those exciting places. Only the very rich did that. But my luck changed, and sure enough, the world was suddenly at my feet.

I did indeed visit Zanzibar, the isle of cloves, and swam in its clear island waters, though I burned bright orange in the sun’s rays and unsuccessfully tried to smuggle Zanzibar cloves and cinnamon bark, as well as vanilla beans into the United States. No one can get past the New York customs even with such innocent loot. And back in Zanzibar I even saw a real Leper, with the missing facial parts covered by a dirty white rag. That really impressed me! I climbed a mountain once, Mt. Lassen, in California, in my shorts and tennis shoes, though I nearly froze to death and thought I’d blow away up there. But I did it anyway, and my name is on the register at the summit. I have been halfway around the world, on both ship and plane. I’ve seen elephants in the wild and ridden one in the zoo. A ride on a double decker bus is on my completed list, and so is seeing the Queen of England, as well as her children and the Archbishop of Canterbury. I have a sales slip from Harrods, and I crossed the Atlantic Ocean on the Queen Mary and ate in the same dining room as Charles Boyer and Governor Jim Folsum of Georgia. I climbed the Eiffel Tower and ate snails in Brussels, and bought handmade lace there, too, which I saw in the making. I rode in a gondola in Venice and ate fresh strawberries and cream in Copenhagen after a tour of Hamlet’s Elsinore Castle. I’ve slept to the roar of lions in the Kruger National Park in South Africa, been stung by a scorpion, climbed the pyramids in Mexico and gaped at them in Cairo from the back of a camel named Ginger Ale, saw the Sahara Desert from 30,000 feet and flew over the Suez Canal at 2,000 feet, vibrated to steel drums in Trinidad, stood on the banks of the Amazon at Belen. Walked down Straight Street in Damascus, stood on the brink of Victoria Falls, and drank Pimm’s Cups #2, 3, and 4 on the Veranda of the Stanley Hotel in Nairobi, crossed the towering Andes Mountains by plane and by car, learned kitchen Spanish, earned my scuba diving license, smelled Rio de Janeiro five miles out at sea, climbed Table Mountain in Cape Town, and so the list goes….

Interspersed with these adventurous years, a family was born and now in my more settled routine with the fragments of a once larger family, my plans now surge ahead. I attempt to write, to get that story in print. Or should it be a novel instead? I am hoping to find a job soon in order to be able to save the money for that scuba diving trip to Cozumel. A New Year’s Resolution this year was to get the photograph albums up to date, years behind, of course, as well as the baby books. Some still no further along than the foot imprint in the hospital! There are the authors I never got around to reading and the Harvard Classics we bought in 1947, and all the new books still to discover. How does one keep up? I’d like to raise orchids, or bromeliads, but where? How?

In my constant race with time to get my list done, I look in wonder at my friends and acquaintances who are “so bored” and have “nothing to do” and either need tranquilizers in order to cope with their children or psychiatrists if their children have grown up and left home.

If I could have but one prayer answered, it would be….

Please God, keep me in good health and humor and of sound mind, so that I can complete my list, too. Keep my memory intact so that I can remember the wonderful experiences I have had and never let me reach the stage where I think life is dull, for I can always have mine refurbished, if not with travel, then by books, television and friends. And P.S. Thanks, God for the exciting years you have given me and for this wonderful world. Amen.

Part 2

(Edith continued this thread of writing and added the following in 1982.)

I remember when we were living in New York City many years ago, right in Manhattan, on East 86th Street, for a limited period of six months. I couldn’t believe we were actually there. For years I had longed to see New York City, and we were right in the heart of it.

Knowing our time was limited, as was cash, we bought maps and guidebooks and began a list of things we wanted to see. Every weekend we went somewhere. We saw most of the famous landmarks, many either free or for a nominal fee. One day we were talking about our latest adventure to our sixty-year-old babysitter who had spent her whole life in the city. It was a shock to our adventurous minds to discover that she had never been to the top of the Empire State Building or to the Statue of Liberty or even to the Museum of Natural History. You would have thought the Brontosaurus dinosaur alone would have brought her there. Her excuse, “Well, when you live here you never get around to those things like the tourists do.” I’ve never forgotten that, and I always try to see the interesting sights of a place before I grow accustomed to them, and then don’t feel the burning desire any longer. When I take pictures, I try to take them when I first arrive, for fear it will seem uninteresting to me later.

I have found this state of inertia in the ‘natives’ of most places I have visited. One forgets that there is much to see in one’s own backyard. If you can afford an international trip, great! I recommend it. If not, your car or a bus or a train can usually get you there. Or, if you are unable to get out, a book or an article is the next best thing. My armchair traveler friends are some of the most interesting I know.

Are you tired of the same old vacation year after years? Do you need to get away from it all, including all the old familiar package deals? It is important to customize your vacation for we all have special vacation needs. Time is precious and most of us want to make the most of time and money spent. Now, if you’re content to fly off to Las Vegas for a week, you may not want to read further. If you would like to do something truly different for your next vacation, something out of the ordinary, you might get some ideas from what I’m about to say. Let me warn you that you may have to plan a year in advance, and it may be even longer to get into good physical shape and to save money. I say that because airfares and almost everything else are going up, up, up in price and one must allow for that in the planning department.

Now is the time to plan a unique vacation for 1983. First of all, you have to find your own niche. Let me whet your appetite a little. Have you ever hiked the Green Mountain Trail in Vermont in late September? Would you consider getting your scuba diving license to enable you to go dive in Cozumel, Mexico off the Palancar Reef, reputed by some to be the most beautiful diving pot in the world (and very accessible from Houston). It is possible to do this if you are an average swimmer. Let me warn you not to take a quickie course in Mexico to by-pass the usual certification. You’ll be risking your life no matter how tempting it might be. You want to be certified to take this trip. Certification courses take about one month. I suggest the YMCA course.

Swimming and hiking are not your bag? Let’s get a little further away and consider hut-hopping in Switzerland. If you’re a reasonably good hiker, you can do this easily and see the land of Heide without the expense of famous resorts. I promise, you’ll be even happier. But I’ll tell you about this later. I want to dangle a few more temptations before you. Let’s twirl the globe now and put our finger on the other side in far off Nepal. Yes, why not see the land of the Lama?

But I know some of you want a truly restful vacation, sitting, basking in the sun, away from it all. Away, you say. Away from people. I know just the place! Beautiful Lake Powell. You don’t have a power boat. Who needs one? You can rent a houseboat and all the amenities of home, plus isolation if you so desire. Take along all the reading you’ve been saving up for the last five years, groceries, suntan lotion, bathing suit, and put your feet up. You can anchor out in the middle or in a cove. Now, if you want to be more adventurous, of course, you can rent a speedboat.

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…participants must be leader approved, that is, you must satisfy the leader that you have the background to enjoy the trek and will be supportive of the group. A questionnaire will be attached to the trip supplement as you apply for the trek. You are expected to be forthright in discussing your prior experience, health, etc.

A brief history of the country to be seen will be sent to you with information on its geography, economic and environmental problems, health problem as well as its wildlife, forests, government, tourism and cultural aspects. A bibliography will be given to you to assist you in your reading to insure the greatest possible benefit from the trip. Life on the trek is described as the play where anything can happen, and it usually does. “If you find that the unexpected disturbs you, please postpone your visit.” If you have hiked at elevations of 10,000 feet or more, you’ll probably find that up to 15,000 feet is simply an extension of your previous experience. You’ll walk more slowly and rest more frequently, and you may be restless at night until you acclimatize.

However, if your previous reaction to altitude has been nausea, diarrhea or other unpleasant symptoms, Nepal is not likely to suit you. “We will be walking across the greatest mountain range on earth. Don’t expect level walking and don’t try to get in shape for the trip just by level walking. To get into condition to spend all day climbing or descending, you have to do that type walking. You must get in shape and stay in shape to enjoy Nepal. This does not mean talking a few walks now and then. You must start a regular conditioning program about three months before you leave and stay with it until departure.

A usual day: 6:30 a.m. – tea and porridge and biscuits. Walking at 7:30 a.m. 10:00 a.m. stop for heavy brunch of eggs, sausage, beans, chapatis and tea. Start walking again at 12:00 p.m. Camp at 5:00 p.m. Dinner at 7:00 p.m. usually consists of chicken, rice or potatoes, fruit and tea. Meals can be enlivened by exotic native greens, yak cheese, water buffalo, goat or sheep, sausage and fried won ton.

The average trek is twenty days. You must provide your own sleeping bag. Tents will be provided. Most of your gear will be carried by porters. You will need a rucksack for camera, sweater, water and personal items. You’ll need for clothing: hiking shoes, Norwegian wool socks and cotton socks, shorts, light slacks, warm pants, underwear, woolen sweater, windproof parka, woolen mittens, nylon poncho or rain suit, woolen shirt with long sleeves, cotton shorts, down jacket with hood, woolen thermal underwear, tennis shoes or moccasins. Granted, this is a trip for the strong and hearty, but word comes from those who’ve done it before that all ages participate, women, men, singles, and couples. The promise is, you leave your world behind and you’ll see quite another one on this trip.

Part 3

(Edith added another thread of thought the following year, 1983.)

Make 1983 the year of the unique vacation! You’ve been to San Francisco and seen the Golden Gate Bridge, but have you hiked the Redwoods? You’ve visited Boston and seen the Boston Common, but have you hiked the Green Mountain Trail? Mexico City. Sure, it’s great except for the traffic and pollution, but how about a climb up the famous volcano Popocatepetl? You’ve longed to bask in the sun in the Baja, Peninsula, but have you considered going to see the whales that migrate down its coast? Camping in a National Park instead? The Virgin Islands. How about St. John and its lush hills? Peru and Cuzco. Let’s go! But how about jogging along the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu at 14,000 feet?

We’re going to tell you how to go to Nepal, on foot, bearers and all, for twenty-one days, or a more leisurely trip, ending up at the Hotel Everest View. The Swiss Alps. How about that happening! Half the cost and twice the fun. You say you are too old for all that strenuous activity? Let’s look at birding with the Audubon Society. You can buy yourself a copy of Field Guide to Birds and start out at the bottom or the top of the list and explore as much as you allow yourself. You’ll be amazed at what you will learn!

With a little searching, a unique vacation can be found for the most daring person, or the tourist who wants to do it the easy way. Get your pencil and pad out and start your list of the most far-out vacation from your armchair. You can imagine! Set some goals!