Week 24: Simple Philosophy

It’s not a bucket list. Nor is it something to prove. However, according to Norm Babineau, 81, of Fitchburg, Mass., it is a simple principle of how to embrace life.

A few years ago, Babineau wrote a two-page letter to his five children. It contained a simple philosophy on life. “As we live our life we find paths that we follow that are comfortable for us . . . as we walk these paths you begin to wear them down. And you live in these paths. As you wear them down you create ruts. And the longer you live, the deeper the rut becomes as you walk it, so that finally you’re so deep you really don’t see what other paths are out there that you could possibly use.”

“So I told them, all they need to do is get out of their ruts, to experience other things,” Babineau said. “And as long as I was telling them they ought to do it, I decided, ‘Well, I know I need to get out of my ruts and start doing other things.’ “

This letter, this philosophy, this epiphany, led him on a quest. A quest for adventure. A chance to live while still alive.

Since that day a few years ago, the man who worked for 31 years selling insurance has received his first tattoo, rode on roller coasters, gone white-water rafting, jumped out of an airplane over Hawaii and made a leap even closer to home. This second leap was at Skydive Pepperell and his entire family jumped with him, minus a wife and son.

“My first jump was so exciting, I just wanted to do it a second time,” Norm said. “It feels like flying.”

Norm was supported by his loving wife, Suzanne, with whom he recently celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary. “He wanted to jump out holding hands - I chickened out,” Suzanne said. “I did my jump when I married him,” she said with a laugh.