December 1 Blog: Best Trip of the Year
I may have found a way back into writing again. I can't or don't want to write about much of what I am doing right now for several reasons. My poor brain isn't coming up with other subjects. I can take inspiration from Gwen Bell, however, and write about the best parts of my 2009.
December 1 Trip. What was your best trip in 2009?
To be a really good trip, there must be an element of challenge. The trips we make over and over, to work, to parents' homes, to visit children, become more comfortable as they become more routine, but there will rarely be enough excitement to lead a trip to rise to the top of the experiential heap.
Sailing to Kingston at the end of August started out with much of the comfortable routine of driving to visit family. We have spent a lot of time on the Canadian Middle Channel, and sailed to Kingston many times over the past five years. This time was special.
We went to the Limestone City Blues Festival for the first time in three years. Just give me some live rowdy music and I'm very happy.
We were social animals, hanging out with a group of boaters and their extended network.
I met Sharkey, and discovered that he is great company on an adventure.
Finally, we pushed our limits on the trip home. We sailed on the lake on a blustery gray day, and spent many hours with the elements, trusting our sturdy boat to get us back to port safe and sound. It didn't hurt that Robert is an excellent skipper and that Sharkey is a natural at the helm. We had a snafu or two along the way, and I have to repair a torn sail this winter because I didn't pull on a sheet at the right time. We got to experience boredom, excitement, an adrenaline rush or two, and righteous exhaustion.
And we saw a rainbow on the way back to the house, after Minuet was safely tied up at the slip.
I think back to that trip, and realize again that successful sailing does not mean that you prevail against the elements. It means that you learn how to work with the elements to accomplish your purpose.
It's a lesson that can serve me well as I cope with the storms I'm sailing through in other parts of my life right now.
Tagged on Twitter as #best09.
December 1 Trip. What was your best trip in 2009?
To be a really good trip, there must be an element of challenge. The trips we make over and over, to work, to parents' homes, to visit children, become more comfortable as they become more routine, but there will rarely be enough excitement to lead a trip to rise to the top of the experiential heap.
Sailing to Kingston at the end of August started out with much of the comfortable routine of driving to visit family. We have spent a lot of time on the Canadian Middle Channel, and sailed to Kingston many times over the past five years. This time was special.
We went to the Limestone City Blues Festival for the first time in three years. Just give me some live rowdy music and I'm very happy.
We were social animals, hanging out with a group of boaters and their extended network.
I met Sharkey, and discovered that he is great company on an adventure.
Finally, we pushed our limits on the trip home. We sailed on the lake on a blustery gray day, and spent many hours with the elements, trusting our sturdy boat to get us back to port safe and sound. It didn't hurt that Robert is an excellent skipper and that Sharkey is a natural at the helm. We had a snafu or two along the way, and I have to repair a torn sail this winter because I didn't pull on a sheet at the right time. We got to experience boredom, excitement, an adrenaline rush or two, and righteous exhaustion.
And we saw a rainbow on the way back to the house, after Minuet was safely tied up at the slip.
I think back to that trip, and realize again that successful sailing does not mean that you prevail against the elements. It means that you learn how to work with the elements to accomplish your purpose.
It's a lesson that can serve me well as I cope with the storms I'm sailing through in other parts of my life right now.
Tagged on Twitter as #best09.
Comments
Post a Comment