Far from the ocean

Happy Holidays!

This photo was taken from Loveland Pass on a sunny day with my husband (sitting on fence) and a good friend. This image is far from the ocean, but just as beautiful (thanks, Google, for the fake snow). As of late, I'm still being challenged with the unknown future that sailing holds for me. As I look around at other sailing blogs, I always get inspired to just let go of fear, take the LOF and just GO! What makes this decision so hard to make when the images of beaches, meeting new people, learning new things, and going places seems magical and a "one-in-a-lifetime" opportunity? After a conversation related to the Shawshank Redemption it's been metaphorically determined I've been institutionalized for the last 33 years and leaving my safe walls, my family, is the scariest part of my parole. The reason I have a very close relationship with my family makes this chapter of my life hard - birthday parties, holidays, the last minute bbqs - that is what I'll miss. I know travel is easier than ever, people will visit, we'll visit our homes, but I've never been away from my family for extended periods of time. This is my struggle. My husband is trying to make this right for us both, to gain so much worldly experiences. Do woman have a harder time detaching themselves then men? I do know that I am scared, but I also know I cannot go through life being afraid of taking risks, and that it's the challenges that allow us to grow and celebrate. As this point, we're discussing the move down to Florida in summertime to live temporarily and shop for a sailboat.

Fearing the Unknown

As I sit here writing from my safe, cozy home while the outdoor thermometer reads 7 degrees (F) some days I feel being a woman can be a deterrent from trying something new, unusual, unsafe, and unknown to me. I typically jump to the conclusion that I'll be uncomfortable and feeling unaware of the consequences, it's "not for me". I quickly say "No", run into the arms of something safe and try to live the life I've known for 32 (soon to be 33) years. We've done this before, living on a sailboat, and the experience was priceless. But this time, we'd be responsible for everything boat-related: routes, anchoring, maintenance, and the feelings overwhelm my senses. 

My husband on the other hand has always had the courage and desire to throw off the bowlines and sail away from the safe harbor. I'm pretty sure that's why I fell in love with him. As a planner and part-time coward, I am envious of his tenacity and love for this vast world. I've also learned lately that my husband comes from a lineage of sailors. Now I know where his passions lay.

It's funny how the world works. We like to call it the "Ski Boot Theory" The premise is to tell a friend you're in the market for a new pair of ski boots (or bike or heck, even a sailboat!), provide your boot size and preferences and it turns out - people will actually look for you and find you a shiny, new pair of Apple red boots for $32.00! We've recently had this experience with sailboats.

Lately, I've given myself permission to be scared and vulnerable about trying something new and unsafe, like living on a sailboat. I've also expressed the Ski Boot Theory to friends and family which has given me more courage to speak up about my fear of the unknown; of deep, stormy waters, my inexperience of navigation skills, and living on a 200 sq. ft floating home. The simplicity and visions of beauty are desirable, but the unknown consequences keeps me up at night.  But Mark Twain said it best (even if he didn't ;): Twenty years from now you'll be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover!

Good for you

Go to the seaside, catch some bracing air for your health.

See, someone agrees with me.

Take Courage

Let's do this.

As Windtraveler quotes on their front page, The world needs dreamers, and the world needs doers. But above all, the world needs dreamers who do.

It seems that in the past 10-20 years with the explosion of the internet, the dreamers who do are Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Steve Jobs, Reid Hoffman, those type of people. You can dream something up, do it, and come out a billionaire, as pretty much all of them have proven.

We need to get back to that. We need more of that attitude. We need less insurance, more failure. We need to try something new, just because we haven't done it. Not avoid it because we haven't done it. America used to be where you wanted to be to make a change. America used to be for risk-takers, now it seems to be for fat-cats. American businesses are unbelievably wealthy, but they're scared. Businesses should take some of their record cash stacks and try something new. Hire some folks, maybe some kids fresh out of college, and see what happens. Take a risk.

Humans are still quite primitive, in our decision-making, in general. Our thought processes change at an evolutionary rate, but our capabilities change at an exponential rate. So we are scared of sharks and spiders and big people, and not scared of driving cars, obesity, or running out of fish to eat. It seems to me that there is some correlation between our (collective) terrible risk-assessment, and our terrible ability to comprehend big or small numbers.

So I say let's do it. Try to make something better, just because everybody says it can't be done. The worst that could happen is you go back to life as it was.

I propose putting people like Moxie in the same category as the internet billionaires above. Cause why not? Those kids spent more time on the beach in the Bahamas than any of those CEOs.