Story and photos by Joshua Elie
I am a big list maker. We all make lists, but I also make lists about life-altering decisions. Do you want to have kids, marry that person, buy that house, move to that location, take that job, go to that school, choose that major … You make a list before grocery shopping, but what about listing the pros and cons of making a baby?
It is human nature to look at life from the inside out, though a list allows you to examine a decision from the outside in. You can also go back to those lists and remind yourself of the reasons for your decisions, adding and taking away from them to encourage you to stick with it or make a change. Let’s face it, there are a lot of days we would rather skip the morning jog and eat that whole carton of ice cream.
I know I would never be able to stick to anything that’s so easy to give up without my lists to refer to. It’s easy to “stop” or “start” something. Staying “stopped” or “started” is likely impossible if you’ve forgotten why it was, and still is, important to you.
A fateful day
Both of my parents were volunteer firefighters, but it wasn’t until I was a senior in high school that I thought about becoming one myself. I was at ski-team practice, riding up the South Peak (Caberfae) chair lift, and in the chair in front of me was one of my teammates, a first-year student, I think. He was bouncing around, laughing, joking … especially noticeable because he had on this big, bright orange stocking cap. At the top we all lined up to take turns skiing down the course. He went in front of me, and it wasn’t until he almost reached the end of the course that he fell to the ground.
At first, we didn’t think anything of it. Falling is often part of practice and there was no horrendous crash. He just fell. We were waiting for him to get up and finish the course, but he wasn’t getting up. He wasn’t moving at all. Coach and a few of us rushed down, and the rest followed. Standing there, watching his face turn colors, I had never felt so helpless in my life. I think we were all in such a daze, like it wasn’t real, it just couldn’t be real … It was announced later that, due to a massive brain hemorrhage, he died instantly, before he even hit the ground. There was nothing anybody could have done.
Doing for others
This is when my list of things needed and idea to become a volunteer firefighter (also a first responder on medical calls) began. Eventually, this became a priority. The schooling was tough, and it never ends. You are always learning and re-learning more, plus you are on call 24-7. If you can go, you go. The reasons to keep doing it grew and grew, but I have to tell you, if it weren’t for that list, I would not have made it through my “Fire I” class.
I haven’t been active in a long time, and I am not suggesting you strap a tank on your back and run into a burning building. However, we are all capable of doing something special for somebody else. There is nothing better for your spirit than giving freely of yourself, no matter how big or small. In recognition of this, I am including my recipe for no-bake cookies. Anybody can make a small batch of these to give away.
Elie’s No-Bake Cookies
Ingredients:
1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter
1/2 cup milk
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup smooth peanut butter
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
Large pinch kosher salt
Bring the butter, milk, sugar, cocoa and salt to a boil in a medium pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Let boil for 1 minute. Turn off heat. Add the peanut butter and stir. Add oats and stir. A whisk is very helpful until you add the oats. Scoop mixture with a tablespoon (measuring), packing it flat, as hot as you can handle, then drop it flat side down on parchment paper. Dust with cinnamon sugar, powdered sugar, or anything else that sounds good to personalize them, or just leave plain. Let sit at room temperature until cooled and hardened, about 30 minutes.
