"Why do you go on these trips with me, Ed?"

"No matter what disasters may occur in other parts of the world...or whatever petty little problems arise in Atlanta...no one can find us up here. Good night, Lewis."

Ed Gentry (pictured above) and Lewis Medlock are the two central characters in the movie Deliverance, directed by John Boorman and released in July 1972. Featuring John Voight (as Ed) and Burt Reynolds (as Lewis) along with Ned Beatty (as Bobby) and Ronny Cox (as Drew), the film is extremely powerful and disturbing in places, for reasons that I won’t go into here, as maybe some readers are unfamiliar with it and will want to check it out for themselves for the first time.

In short, it’s a story of four city dwelling friends who embark on an adventure weekend (some of them for the first time), their motives for doing so and how they react when they are tested to (and beyond) their limits.

I’ve seen it so many times over the decades and as I’ve gotten older, it resonates more deeply with me now than it ever has. I find it hard to believe that I’m now around 15 years older than the characters in the movie were when it was filmed. Yet, despite being older, I still feel like a younger observer when I watch them undertake their life changing canoe trip down the Cahulawassee River.

The title of this piece is a question Lewis asked Ed at the beginning of the trip. He didn't properly answer it at the time but later on that night, after drinking beer for most of the day and reflecting on how things had went to that point, he stated “No one can find us up here.” Worldwide calamities or regional issues, it mattered not. Somewhere along the banks of the Cahulawassee, under cover of darkness, a sanctuary had been found.

I don’t think there’s anyone that doesn’t need a place to retreat to where no one else can find them, from time to time. The duration of the stay inevitably varies from person to person. For some it could be an hour; for others it could be weeks, months or even years. During the dystopian worldwide lockdowns that occurred sporadically over the last few years (and to differing degrees depending on where you live), the need for a place of personal escape from the insanity of government imposed rules based on pseudo science became very apparent.

The negative effect these useless measures that were taken “for the common good; to protect us” had on peoples mental health was/is immeasurable. From the youngest to the oldest in our societies, nobody escaped unscathed.

So sanctuary was sought wherever it could be found. It could have been a walk around the block during your daily hour of permitted exercise. Joining online “communities” to discuss the outlook for the future and what steps could be taken to restore normality. Or, literally, standing in a park with like minded locals. Being ordered to work from home was a reprieve for millions who were suffocating in office environments and being micro managed to death. Wearied by the daily commute to a distant, soulless concrete and glass structure. Their homes became their havens, even though they might not have been able to leave them when they wanted to. Think “house arrest is preferable to the penitentiary.”

The danger with finding your place of refuge is that it can be tempting to stay there longer than needed. Much longer. Then we start to get soft and complacent, long after we have had a time of vital refreshment. The problems in our lives don’t go away if we take flight, they will still be there when we eventually return. In fact, they may have multiplied in our absence. So balance is crucial.

And so we go back to Deliverance. Ed slept well that night and woke up early the next morning, refreshed, sober and ready to face whatever the day ahead would throw at him. And he was about to have a very eventful day indeed. As the movie continues, the roles of Lewis and Ed are reversed. Ed becomes the alpha of the small pack of four men, not through choice but through necessity. He must accept that role, not just for his own sake but for the sake of the others who were with him. If you want a muscle to grow, you need to put it under progressively greater stress. Conversely, muscular atrophy occurs during a period of inactivity. If you don’t use it, you lose it.

Our own circumstances may dictate that we move from a supporting role to one of leadership. The opposite is true. Leaders may need to become supporters. Both roles are equally important. So embrace any change that comes your way like Ed, no matter whether it be through choice or necessity. And when (not if) it gets too much sometimes, which it assuredly will, get in your metaphorical canoe and paddle like hell to your place of refuge. But don’t stay too long.

And (for those that have seen the movie) whatever you do, when it’s time to move on, don’t take a detour into the woods. That’s another story altogether.

If you know, you know.

Rick.