Like I used to

— e.g., bifocals — seriously kicks in, and we have become keenly aware that people eventually die. e coup de grâce is that we know too there is nothing we can do about either. ere are no exceptions. In the not-too-distant future, we know the bell will toll not for thee but for me.

JERRY FABYANIC Columnist

It’s kind of depressing to think about, but as it is with much in life, it’s a matter of perspective. If one looks at having been born — given life —not as a right but as a privilege, that gloomy perspective can ip.

One of the wisest insights I gained is that life is a journey. Like any journey, it can be a blasé one — a prepackaged, sanitized, structured cruise — in which the traveler follows the herd and dutifully does what is expected of them, or it can be an extraordinary one in which they follow their own path. When they do that, they lick their chops not at nding the anticipated but at chancing upon or discovering the unanticipated. If one chooses the latter path and separates from their this-is-what-is-expected-of-you world, crosses the threshold, and ventures into the unknown, psy-

No to Shadow Mountain Bike Park, yes to Evergreen Gateway at El Rancho chic energy transforms them. ey become attuned, even addicted, to that life. In time they realize there’s no quitting, no going back to the safety net of their launch point and birth tribe and that their adventure will end with their last breath. And they’re good with that. e last character he encounters is Paints His Shirt Red, the Crow chief he encountered after he initially made his way into the mountains.

We as a community need to expressly inform the EPRD board that we do not want our tax dollars to go towards small niche special interests like a dog park, ice hockey rink or a skatepark. It seems ridiculous that people move to Evergreen and immediately want us to pay for their child prodigy’s hobbies at great expense. I will be leading the e ort to stop any new taxes the EPRD tries to pass. Continuing the current bond to cover deferred maintenance should be the priority. But not one cent should go to a skatepark or dog park. We need to also continue to apply pressure to the authorities to stop the shadow mountain bike park. It is a clear threat to public safety as the Elk Creek Fire District cannot cover its medical needs.

When they reach their elderly years however, they face a conundrum. It slowly dawns on them they are slowing down and can’t do stu like they used to. eir problem is they know no other way. Despite their declining physical abilities, the siren of the journey still calls to their soul. It beckons them forth. Whether it’s the old man and the sea or the old man of the mountain, their place — the sea, the mountain, the desert, or wherever the place might be — has been etched into and become an indelible aspect of their being.

One of my favorite stories is “Jeremiah Johnson,”the Robert Redford lm about being a mountain man. Each time I watch it, I am awestruck not only at the magni cence of the setting and the superb performances rendered by Redford, Will Gear (Bear Claw), and the other actors but also by the story itself, its tale and structure. e story line follows the hero’s path from beginning to end.

It will also cater to low volume low interest special interest group.

We also need to support the development of Hilltop. It is important to point out that the re district cannot stop it. Fire code only allows it to require sprinklers wider access roads and turnarounds and increased water supply. e metro district can meet the water supply needs. e roads can be widened. Hilltop has always been the slum of Evergreen. It is time to bring it into modern times.

Evergreen can and needs to encourage further development. We need the Evergreen Gateway at El Rancho. We need to develop hilltop. We can build out our commercial, light industrial and residential parcels. We can easily support another 2,500-3,000 homes. We need multifamily even if

LINDA SHAPLEY Publisher lshapley@coloradocommunitymedia.com

MICHAEL DE YOANNA Editor-in-Chief michael@coloradocommunitymedia.com we have to go up.

Watching it now through the lens of an old man of the mountain, I am struck by the ending: ough it doesn’t end ambiguously, it wraps only sort of conclusively. Yes, he’s been accepted and forgiven for his sacrilegious trespassing, but then what? Can he return to trapping and live out his days doing that? Where does he go? He can never return to civilization, nor does he want to. And he’s alone. All those he met and accompanied him on his journey are gone. So how does he spend his remaining years? It’s intriguing to consider, but the answer is really quite simple: He goes on and continues to do everything like he used to. Maybe more slowly and not as well, but with the same spirit — elan— he approached life when young, strong and full of moxie. As it is with me. So I can’t do it — ski, run, move rocks in my garden, and so on — like I used to, but I can go on like I used to and do many of the many activities I used to. Slower, but with the same excitement, thrill and enthusiasm I had when I started my journey. Just because my body is slowing and falling apart doesn’t mean I have to.

Jerry Fabyanic is the author of “Sisyphus Wins” and “Food for ought: Essays on Mind and Spirit.” He lives in Georgetown.

Nate Marshall, Evergreen Bravo, first responders!

A huge shout of thanks for the army of rst responders and emergency personnel who came immediately to the scene of a fuel tanker rollover at Kerr Gulch and Piney Ridge Road at dusk on July 6.

As residents just uphill from the accident, we observed the almost instantaneous gathering of more than a dozen vehicles with lights ashing and the semi’s wheels in the air at the intersection.

Evergreen Fire & Rescue, Je co Sheri , West SEE LETTERS, P9

Hmakes around part annual event the of recreation Northglenn. just have participating. we’ve tournament west Avenue a.m. made will volleyball day, a glory adults kids have such

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