The old man of the van: Tale from a camping trip

Sunset in the Gulf of Mexico - Photo: Still Gravity.
Sunset in the Gulf of Mexico - License our images here.

He was old. Probably in his 70s. Camping alone by a corner of the free campground in an old-fashioned van that showed the wrinkles of time. 

From a comfy captain chair and with his stroller parked by the door, the elder looked at the passing world. The dance of life was in full motion around him. But he was still. Killing time. Long gone were the days of protagonism. Now, closer to death, he was just a passive witness. 

Looking from my campsite, I couldn't avoid thinking about the story behind the old man. A tale of survivorship? A tale of mistakes and bad luck? Only he knows. But each of us, at the end of our lives, will become the old man of a van.

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