Editor’s note: Rick McKay, Joe Masonick, and Jack Karolewski, have been annual travel companions for more than 50 years to a variety of sites with many goals. This week’s adventure is the fourth in the series.
The third part is available at thevoice.us/three-men-in-adventures-50-years-foundation-of-friendship
By Rick McKay
Last week, information on the three of us revealed reasons for our friendships for 50 years, especially with annual trips together.
On reflection, there are some common experiences that may have predicted a close relationship. Both Jack and I had troubled childhoods compromised by substance abuse in the family. However, Joe did not experience these challenges. Both Joe and Jack were raised Catholic. However, whereas Joe was burdened by feelings of guilt instilled by representatives of the Church, Jack’s experiences were quite different and mostly positive.
However, what we did share was a love for adventure. I already have cited this passion in the short backgrounds of Joe and Jack. Although I didn’t dream about adventure travel as a child, when the opportunity came up, I was definitely game. At age 17, I hitchhiked to New York City to visit friends I had met on a family vacation cruise. And when the idea of an Alaska adventure took form at the end of sophomore year in college, I was all in! Later, a growing interest in history fired a passion for world travel.
An appetite for adventure was definitely an important factor affecting the longevity of our three-way friendship. But this long-term history of adventure never would have continued beyond our Alaska trip, if not for the fact that we turned out to be very compatible travel companions. What does it mean exactly?
First, we are all three educators. While traveling we never lose sight of what we learn, we are intending to pass on to our students in one form or another. When planning itineraries, we always try to make sure everyone’s needs are met to the degree that it is possible and/or practical. Joe loves to include a physical adventure or two, such as climbing a mountain, or hiking a trail. Jack wants to make sure we don’t miss significant historical sites in any given location.
I love to freely explore to see what surprises might unfold. We each are patient and uncomplaining when challenges present themselves. We are not attached at the hip when exploring new places or sights, rather free to wander off in the excitement of the moment without fear of resentment for doing so.
I posed the compatibility question to Joe and Jack.
Joe said: “You are both well prepared and seasoned travelers who bring a lot of knowledge and prior experiences to our journeys. You both possess many important traits that make you excellent travelers. You are intelligent, knowledgeable, well-informed, sensitive, inquisitive, open-minded, energetic, creative, funny, capable, trustworthy, adventurous, good communicators, and excellent planners!”
Jack summarized: “Sharing the joys and challenges of visiting new places has forged an enduring bond between us. Our sense of maturity as seasoned travelers continues to improve with each new adventure and each passing year, broadening and deepening our experiences.”
While driving, walking, or over dinner, we are never at a loss for vibrant conversation. Although people tend to become more opinionated over time, I feel each one of us has remained open to new perspectives. We listen to each other with open minds, and when one of the other two expresses an opinion, espouses an argument, or asks the other two to think about something in a new way, we consider it objectively and respond thoughtfully.
But, perhaps most important to our compatibility is that really we like each other’s company. When we meet up for a shared adventure, we pick up right where we left off the prior year, almost as though only a day or so had passed. Within minutes, we have each other in stitches of laughter. When driving, we love to listen to music, often singing along with favorite tunes. It is just plain fun to be with one another!
Returning to the longevity question, and critically important to how we bonded, were in the historic events of the times during which our relationship began and flourished. As previously cited, the ongoing Vietnam War and the movement opposing it were common experiences of an era that bound us together.
Continued at thevoice.us/watershed-loving