Never Say Never

Story about not giving up

I don't remember my exact age at the time?... I'm guessing I was around 8 or 9, Dad had promised me for years that when I was big enough he would let me go Deep Sea fishing with him and his Firemen buddies....He had a friend that owned a Charter Fishing Boat and once a year they all got together for a little fishing/camping trip.. Boy I was counting the days until we left once Dad finally gave in and said I could go.....We were going to be camping on an island about 20 miles off shore..It was late on a Friday before we even started our trip.... Now I had never been out in the ocean before let alone at night.....I remember how the lights from shore became tiny little specs the farther we got away.... I remember the cool way some of the fish would glow at night.. I think the biggest thrill a kid could ever have was when the Captain let me drive that big Ole boat... MAN! I was on top of the world......

When we got out to the island it was already pretty late..So we decided to just sleep on the boat and make our camp the next day..........I don't think I slept much that night simply because I was so excited about the next day.........OK!.. TRUTH IS, I'D SEEN JAWS!.. Y'ALL REMEMBER??? THAT SHARK ATE THE BOAT.............NUFF SAID!.......I remember my Dad asking me if I wanted to sleep outside on the front of the boat?....NO DAD!.. I'LL BE JUST FINE RIGHT HERE IN THIS TINY LITTLE BUNK, RIGHT BESIDE YOU!... The way I had it figured?? Was, if that big Ole shark was to pay us a visit in the night?? He would eat the big people first.......MORE MEAT!.........

Well obviously, we made it through the night.. The next morning we shuttled all our gear to the island in a little rubber boat... To me this was the coolest thing.........They even let me drive it and make the trip by myself once.........I WAS THE COOLEST KID I KNEW AT THAT VERY MOMENT....

Well we had gotten camp all set up.. The guys were ready to get started fishing.. They decided that we would just hang out on the island that day and fish because it was really windy and the sea was kinda rough for fishing.........Well of coarse being a kid, after about an hour of fishing and not catching anything I got bored..... So I decided I would be the one to go and find us some wood for the fire that night.....Dad had told me that we would build us a big fire and if I wanted we would sleep out by it......I couldn't wait.. My Dad told the best stories of anyone I knew... He would always leave ya wanting more............

I had been out wandering all around that island looking for wood for the fire that night...... Being an island there wasn't that many trees on it....So I was having a little trouble finding enough wood.. Sure I would pick up the occasional piece of drift wood that had washed up, but nothing that would burn for any amount of time.... I was kinda getting a little frustrated because I knew that without enough wood the fire wouldn't last long.. And I wanted to hear stories all night long...And just when I was about ready to quit and tell Dad there just ain't any wood out here, I saw it... Buried about half in sand was a giant piece of drift wood.... Man this sucker was huge....To give ya some sorta idea?.. It was roughly about as long as a small car and half as big........THAT'S IT!.... WE GOT OUR FIRE!

Folks I was determined to get that piece of wood.... I dug for hours, using only my hands, to get it free... Finally I had it to where I could kinda roll it over a little.. But like I said before this sucker was huge.. No way was I moving it by myself..........So I ran back around to the other side of the island to get the fellas to come help me get it....A couple of um came back with me and they just laughed...... They told me that they would need a crane to move that sucker.. NO WAY was we ever going to get that big thing back to camp.. They just kinda shook their heads and walked away laughing at me.....HELL NO!.. I hadn't spent the better part of my day digging that piece of wood out for them to laugh at me!!!!THEY DONE PISSED ME OFF!.. Folks I was more determined than ever now...........That piece of wood was about 25 feet from the waters edge... I HAD A PLAN!... I started digging again.. I dug me a trench all the way from that wood to the water. It took me forever........My Dad told me once that if I saw something that I wanted?.. If I had a plan and tried really hard and didn't give up.. There just wasn't any reason on earth why I couldn't have it...(Hope that made sense?)... Ya ll can just imagine how I felt when that trench started filling up with water? That big Ole piece of wood started floating....I pushed that thing out into the ocean and was wading knee deep in water while pushing it all the way back around that island..

By now it was getting late and starting to get dark... I could hear my Dad yelling for me... Folks I had been at this all day long...........I wish y'all could have seen them mens faces when this little 8 year old kid comes rounding the bend riding on top of a big a*s piece of wood?.... It was price less.......They started hooping and hollering they was clapping for me.. I must have been the proudest kid alive right then and there... Them fellas couldn't believe their eyes.........NEVER TELL ME I CAN'T DO SOMETHING!..........THANKS DAD!......I OWE YA!.....Took me 47 years to realize just how much....................

Y'ALL WEAR YA SMILES......kuntry.