“It’s Never Too Late”
In July, I read an inspiring article about a man named Stan Stark who was planning to kayak the entire Mississippi River starting at its headwaters at Lake Itasca, located in Itasca State Park in Northern Minnesota all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. Completing the nearly 2,400-mile trek in itself along a river that has around 30 locks and dams and navigating around a significant amount of commercial barge traffic seemed like quite a feat. But what I found absolutely incredible was that Stan is looking to become the oldest person to complete the voyage at 81 years old. If he succeeds, he will break a world record set by his friend, Dale Sanders, who was 80 when he completed his trek.
Stan is a retired Navy Seabee who has been an avid kayaker for over 20 years and enjoys being a part of nature. In the article I read Stan was quoted as saying, “I thought I’d maybe give a little inspiration to those of us who are let’s say, a little older than most. People who are my age, maybe 60 on up or 70 on up, you don’t have to roll over and play dead. A lot of folks you know, they grow old before they should grow old.” I would say that Stan has provided me a good dose of inspiration and I am much younger than 60!
Stan isn’t paddling the entire Mississippi River only to check off another item on his bucket list or to obtain a world record, he’s also doing it to raise money for Sarge’s Place, a homeless veterans’ outreach program located in Forks, Washington.
As I am writing this blog, Stan has already made it to Louisiana and is on the home stretch to complete his voyage. You can read more about Stan and his Mississippi River kayaking experience at www.stanthekayakingman.com. Truly amazing!
As you can see, it’s never too late to start your next adventure.
I hope you enjoyed the newsletter. Please email me at cindy@fairtrustfinancial.com with any questions you have regarding planning for your future.