The above photo is of my nephew, Malachy “Mac” McCaffrey, middle son of The Ginger and a darling of his lovely mother, my SIL, Denise. Mac shares his father’s coloring, size and madness. He was running with the bulls in Pamplona just this week. I’m very proud of Mac.
For so many reasons.
https://www.facebook.com/malachymccaffrey
I’m thrilled that he made a point of getting there for this year’s San Fermin Festival, made famous by Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, my favorite Hemingway novel. Like most interesting writers, EH incorporated a lot of his friends into that novel.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sun_Also_Rises
My life being compiled of contradictions, I abhor bullfighting. It’s barbaric. Completely unfair match. But I’m fine with man testing themselves on a level playing field and giving the bulls a fair chance of a final notch before their last hurrah.
Now Mac is not the first of my family’s branch to do it. My eldest, the writer, Luke – Lebanon Red and Bulletproof – is an adventurous SOB who made it a point in his late twenties to not only run with the bulls but to participate in the madness of the arena afterwards.
Luke got his looks from his mom. His madness is pure McCaffrey. His talents are all his own.
I’m not going to lie. I envy the next generation for chasing that one particular dream. It’s remains on my bucket list, but with the way my body continues to tweak and ache, I’m not sure my pins would carry me far or fast enough during those 957 yards to avoid adding to the 15 goring death body count that has accrued over the century-plus that the event has continued. Still, there are worse ways to leave this energy plane.
I promised myself that if I ever did get to the SF festival, I would even start drinking again, because you cannot go the Spain and not drink red wine out of a Spanish Bota Bag.
Luke brought his bag back home with him. I wonder where it is now.
My point is, that one should not put things off. Especially in your youth. Find a way to chase your dreams.
As Teddy Roosevelt counsels – dare greatly.
My first tattoo.
Otherwise, you will have no stories to tell when you are old.
And that would indeed be a tragedy.
Maybe, I’ll actually begin training for a July trip to Spain to celebrate my 70th trip around the sun – and watch it rise in San Fermin. Stranger things have happened.
Lenny promised to video it if I do. Maybe I can get The Ginger to go with me.
I know of at least one runner older than me. Turns out he’s a hero. God bless him.
You need your goals, a purpose. Even when you are old.
Until then, I’ll proudly live vicariously through the brave bloodline that follows me.
So, well done Mac and Luke. You’ve made your family proud. And envious.
Well, I have a far more mundane effort that demands my attention – a legal motion to wrap up today, and lots of chores to do before I get there, so I better get moving.
You fine, five readers get through your hump day. Wave to Friday from the peak.
And maybe set your sights on one more thing on your bucket list.
Time isn’t waiting for any of us.
And as Ernest Hemingway’s other novel – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_Whom_the_Bell_Tolls – tells us, John Donne’s Bell – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIO-7p73yvE – tolls for us all.
So, let’s get out there and make today a great one.
2 Responses
Love reading your posts. Thanks for the reminder to live in the moment and pursue our dreams. Will check off one of those bucket list items in a few weeks with a trip to Italy (this time no work- just fun!).
“You mess with the bulls, you get the horns….”