Bigfoot
Yes. Bigfoot.
And, just for the record – I seem to think Big Foot has to be TWO words! LOL …. after some research since my last post … I learned that the etiquette of the word is Bigfoot – one word! hahahaaaa
So ….. BIGFOOT
That is what I am writing about today.
As I look ahead at 2026, I find myself thinking about some of the things I would really like to do this year. Some are serious. Some are meaningful. Some have probably been sitting on my Bucket List for far too long.
And some are just plain silly.
But maybe we need more silly. Maybe I need silly!
One of the things I would love to do this year is attend a Bigfoot festival. There is one in Marienville, PA – this is usually held sometime in June, and I am hoping—really hoping—that this might finally be the year I get there.
Here is a link to the event:
https://www.forestcountybigfootfestival.com/
Is it attainable? I don’t know yet.
But that’s the fun of a Bucket List.
If I make it there in 2026, wonderful. If I don’t, I’ll put it right back on the list for 2027. Or maybe I’ll stumble upon another Bigfoot festival or adventure somewhere else along the way.
Because apparently, at this point in my life, Bigfoot is on my Bucket List.
And I’m perfectly okay with that.
Why Bigfoot?
I know there are people reading this who probably think the whole Bigfoot phenomenon is ridiculous.
And that’s okay.
To me, Bigfoot is a little like believing in Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. I’m not talking about religion. I’m certainly not talking about worship or idolatry.
I’m talking about fun.
Life is stressful.
Actually, life can be unbelievably stressful.
Everyone is carrying something. Everyone.
I don’t care who you are, how beautiful your house is, what kind of car you drive, how wonderful your Facebook pictures look or how perfect your family appears from the outside.
Nobody has a perfect life.
I will argue that fact to my grave.
Everybody has something.
And maybe that is exactly why I love the silliness and mystery surrounding Bigfoot.
Maybe part of it goes back to growing up in Clearfield, PA in Clearfield County.
Bigfoot was just…there.
There were statues. Posters. Signs. Carvings. Stories. Bigfoot figures tucked into places. Growing up around the woods, Bigfoot was just one of those fun things that seemed to be part of the landscape.
And Clearfield, PA isn’t some creepy, isolated place buried deep in the backwoods. It is a beautiful area. But when you grow up around trees, mountains and wooded areas, there is something wonderfully fun about imagining that maybe—just maybe—something is hiding out there.
I was fascinated by it.
And apparently, I still am.
The Ultimate Hide-and-Seek Champion
As an adult, I think what fascinates me even more is the phenomenon surrounding Bigfoot.
Think about it.
There are grown adults who spend weekends searching for Bigfoot.
There are people who write books about Bigfoot.
There are researchers, festivals, movies, television shows, documentaries, podcasts, merchandise, and entire communities built around this elusive creature who has somehow managed to avoid getting a decent photograph taken for decades.
Seriously.
Bigfoot may be the undisputed champion of hide-and-seek.
And I love it.
In this stressful, chaotic, and sometimes really screwed-up world, I think it is wonderful that there are adults and families who can still gather together and have fun over something like Bigfoot.
Maybe they believe with every fiber of their being that Bigfoot is out there.
Maybe they don’t believe at all.
Maybe they’re somewhere in the middle.
Does it really matter? No!
They’re having fun.
They’re laughing.
They’re exploring.
They’re getting outside.
They’re making memories.
They’re allowing themselves to believe in a little mystery.
I think there is something incredibly healthy about that.
Do I personally believe that someday I am going to wander through the woods and suddenly come face-to-face with Bigfoot?
No.
At least I don’t think so….. hummmm?
But do I love Bigfoot?
Absolutely.
I love the T-shirts. I love the signs. I love the sayings. I love the ridiculous merchandise. I love Bigfoot decor.
If I ever owned a cabin or second home somewhere in the mountains, I can promise you one thing:
Bigfoot would be the motif.
There would be Bigfoot everywhere.
Because it makes me smile.
And sometimes that is reason enough.
“Harry and the Hendersons”
One of my favorite and fun movies is Harry and the Hendersons, which premiered in the United States on June 5, 1987. it was released by Universal Pictures.
I still love that movie.
Maybe that tells you everything you need to know about me.
I don’t think I’ve ever sat through an entire serious Bigfoot documentary. Maybe someday I will.
But I’m not really looking for scientific proof.
I’m looking for the fun.
My family isn’t particularly interested in Bigfoot. I honestly don’t know whether any of my friends are, either. Nobody exactly brings Bigfoot up over dinner.
Maybe I’m the crazy one.
That’s okay!
If something as harmless and lighthearted as Bigfoot makes me smile once in a while, then I’m going to keep planning my little Bigfoot adventures.
One Little Problem
So far, I haven’t found anyone who actually wants to go on these adventures with me!
But maybe 2026 changes that.
I pray that someday I find my person.
My “human bean”.
The person who doesn’t just tolerate my silliness but actually enjoys being silly with me.
Someone who will look at me when I say, “Hey, there’s a Bigfoot festival. Wanna go?” and instead of rolling his eyes and wondering what on earth is wrong with me, he’ll say:
“When do we leave?”
That’s what companionship means to me.
When you have that special person—your partner—you support each other’s interests.
You do things together.
Sometimes you go somewhere because your partner loves it. Sometimes they go somewhere because you love it.
And hopefully, somewhere along the way, you both end up having fun.
Especially as we get older.
You want someone beside you to experience it.
Would I do something that wasn’t necessarily “my thing” for someone I loved?
Absolutely.
Now, let’s not get carried away.
If my partner’s dream was jumping out of an airplane, he might be jumping alone.
I have limits.
But if he wanted to go watch some snake-hunting demonstration—even with as much as I dislike snakes—if I knew it was safe, I’d go.
I’d support him.
Because that’s what you do.
And I hope someday someone wants to trek off on a ridiculous Bigfoot adventure with me for the very same reason.
Not because he has to.
Not because he’s appeasing me.
But because he understands that the silly little things that make someone you love happy eventually become part of your happiness, too.
Life is short ~ Search for Bigfoot!
Don’t Take Away My Silly
Maybe I’ll finally make it to a Bigfoot festival this year and really not like it.
Maybe I’ll walk around for twenty minutes and think:
You have GOT to be kidding me.
Maybe it will be so far-fetched and over-the-top that even I can’t handle it.
Or…
Maybe I’ll look around at a bunch of adults and families laughing, taking ridiculous pictures, buying ridiculous Bigfoot souvenirs and enjoying life together and think:
This is awesome!
I hope it’s the second one.
Because if you know me personally, you know this about me:
I am silly.
I am goofy.
I am quirky!
I love surprising people.
I love giving silly gifts just to make someone laugh.
I love doing unexpected things.
I love making memories.
I love finding reasons to smile.
And if you take away my silly, my fun, my goofiness, my surprises and the little things that make life interesting, you take away a very important part of who I am.
I don’t ever want to become so overwhelmed by adulthood, responsibilities, disappointments, stress or simply getting older that I forget how to be silly.
Maybe that’s what Bigfoot represents to me.
A reminder that you are never too old to have fun.
You are never too old to wonder.
You are never too old to chase something ridiculous.
You are never too old to put something completely silly on your Bucket List.
And you are certainly never too old to hope that someday you’ll find another “human bean” who is willing to chase a little silliness alongside you.
So here’s to 2026.
Here’s to Bucket Lists.
Here’s to finding reasons to laugh in a world that gives us plenty of reasons not to.
Here’s to finding our people.
And here’s to searching for the undefeated, undisputed, ultimate champion of hide-and-seek.
Bigfoot!
Maybe I’ll never find him.
But I think I’m going to have a lot of fun looking.
And with that, I’m signing off to begin the ultimate search……
Pondering …. where can Bigfoot be? ….
with ….
gussiewrites.com
Life in Words 