I've written, deleted and re-written this summary at least 15 times by now. I've been trying to narrow down how this season was so special, and give some personal thoughts about life and hunting. You can take it however you want. Unlike most of my posts, I'm going to keep my summary relatively short.
I feel as though the thread does a good job of showing how I feel about the season, but in case you didn't catch the drift... the word is "blessed." And I'm not referring to the animals I was lucky enough to kill this year. I'm blessed because I am able to hunt. I'm blessed because I have a wife who supports my passion. I'm blessed because I have 2 healthy children to share my passion with throughout the future. I'm blessed to have amazing friends and a fantastic community of hunters not only on this forum but everywhere I've been this season. The mix of solitude and people are what made my 2017 season one I can honestly say has changed me.
I spent a lot of time in the field alone this season, and I will always appreciate solitude. There was a moment from early last summer that set the tone for my entire season. As I was walking out the door for a quick scouting trip, my wife said, "enjoy your solitude." She didn't say it in any special way, and I honestly didn't really think much about it at the time. But two words kept ringing in my head all throughout the season.
Enjoy... Solitude.
I believe solitude is a key ingredient to maintaining my sanity and it gives me the time to know who and what I stand for. The Norwegian explorer, humanitarian, and Nobel Peace Prize winner Fridtjof Nansen explained it better than I can when he said, "The first great thing is to find yourself and for that you need solitude and contemplation - at least sometimes. I can tell you deliverance will not come from the rushing noisy centers of civilization. It will come from the lonely places."
I don't think you can enjoy civilization without having spent some time in solitude, and vice versa. My time in solitude made the times I spent with other people much more meaningful. I had some very special moments in the field with great people this season, and I couldn't be more thankful for all of it. But did I "enjoy" it? Of course! How could you not?
Lastly, I believe the best motivation is self-motivation, and my hope for this thread is that maybe, just maybe, someone who's made it this far might find some self-motivation to do something they otherwise wouldn't have. Though ironic, and possibly hypocritical considering we just did a long thread about our seasons, I don't believe anyone should try to compare themselves or create standards for themselves based anything they see on social media or other outlets. Be yourself, set your own goals and standards, challenge yourself, be uncomfortable, always improve, and most importantly enjoy your time in the field.
I look forward to what 2018 has in store, and I'll do my best to share it with you as honestly as possible. Good luck to everyone in the draws, and THANK YOU for following along.
~CJ
