Short rant on ..............

[Frank]

   We are all different and I'm sure are drawn to smaller sailing boats for a multitude of reasons. They are fun,can be exciting,a way of showing your individuality,an outlet for creativity with modifications etc, a constant learning curve....the list goes on and on. We all live in different places,have different jobs,homes and social circles.Put us on a small sailboat and there is a common ground.  A speaker at a conference I was at about a week back said "sometimes you must loose yourself to find yourself". I have read that saying before. As I sit here trying to get job related work items caught up,prepare our home and yard for winter and think of all the things that must be done SOON...as well as the upcoming Christmas lists and calls that must be made...the meaning of that saying becomes clear. When I'm out cruising, NONE of all that matters.Which way the wind is blowing and what is the next anchorage are pretty much the big decisions. You truly are free from all the BS that consume us in our day to day lives. When you are dropping an anchor..you are only doing that. Your mind isn't on the 68 other things that should get done.I hope to be back on the boat real soon....'lost' again, so I can 'find myself' :)

[LauraG]

That is ALL too true, Frank. Why do we put up with such BS in our shore lives? Maybe it is the difference between the things that SHOULD get done while we are ashore and the things that MUST get done when we are at sea.

I just finished reading Web Chiles', "Storm Passage" after discovering here that I could read it online. One of the things he mentions several times is the intensity of life at sea. I believe that every sensation, thought and action at sea is essential to life. There is so much ashore that is NOT essential. It is difficult to prioritize and make choices when the effect of those choices just really doesn't make much difference in the big picture. Maybe that is why we get lost.


A favorite quote from a friend of mine about being lost, "Some times it is a long way to get to where you are...."