Woodrow or Gus

Which are you? 

And by that I am talking about the two main characters of the TV mini series, Augustus McRae and Woodrow McCall, taken from the book of the same name, Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry. If you have never heard of the show, I would suspect you never watched any television in the past 20 or 30 year. I am sure there are many who never saw it, or never read the book, but I have done both, several times. Yeah, I know.  But I love to read and usually enjoy a good western and according to what I have seen, many think Lonesome Dove was one of the best, if not the best western, of all times. I wouldn’t as I tend to not care about such judgements, but I did enjoy both, as it tells the story of the first herd driven to Montana from Texas. I am too much of a history buff to ever read or watch that sort of a fiction and truly enjoy it as they always get most of the history wrong. But I will admit, it spins a good tale and poses some questions that I perhaps never thought about, from just reading the history books.

In the story, two old retired Texas Rangers who now make a living stealing cattle and horse from Mexicans, as they live right on the border near the little town of Lonse Dove, on the Rio Grande, take a herd of cattle all the way north to the Yellowstone river.

Gus is the leader, tho’ most would never know it as he is the one who hangs out with the men in their employ and likes fun and mostly shirks responsibility, while Woodrow is taciturn and gruff and seems to have the biggest responsibility bump and mostly gives the orders to anyone and all, around them. They have been lifelong partners since young men, when they joined the Rangers.

Gus usually is drinking whiskey and laughing and seems to not have a care in the world, while Woodrow always seems to be trying to get rich and work and protect the rest of the people around him. Woodrow is very black and white in his views and Gus is much more liberal in his viewpoint while still insisting that there are a few rules in life that you can not and do not break, such as respecting  your fellow man. Which he goes to some extreme lengths to point out at times.Very much a “grasshopper and the ant” story from the old fables.

Most think Gus is fun and Woodrow is an old stick in the mud and would probably admit that what this world needs is more Woodrows and fewer Gus’s.

I like to think that I am much more of the Woodrow type. Take care of business, watch your pennies and keep your nose to the grindstone. But if I am really truthfully and take the time to truly examine my life and how I live it, I have more leanings towards Gus. I enjoy fun, and strive to never work too hard unless it is a serious matter. Woodrow tends to allow others to do as they please as long as it doesn’t interfere with him or those he loves, while Gus spouts off quotes and tries to be funny and make people around him laugh and enjoy his company. Quick to make a smart aleck reply and point out peoples foible and flaws, as Woodrow plods along picking up the pieces that Gus would let fall by the wayside.

If you have never seen the show, or better yet, read the book, I would urge you to do both, tho’ as in most shows taken from a novel, the book is much better as it captures more of the storyline and delves deeper into the characters and times.

So, are you a Gus or a Woodrow? Both, in the end, are good men, but they go about life with a different attitude and and actions as to how they treat people and problems that naturally arise in life. At my age I wish I had been a bit more like the better parts of both.