Did ya ever notice how, when you are out to sea for long periods of time, the thought of sitting safe in a harbor starts to look real appealing?
I know I’ve had that thought plenty of times. About the third day without sleep when fighting my way upwind against 30 knots, the thought of a place… any place, to pull in and get a night’s sleep is as welcome as a frosty glass of ice water to a man who is dying of thirst.
I can’t think of how many nights I’ve been in a downpour, standing my 2:00 am ‘till 4:00 am watch, thinking how nice it would be to be tucked into a warm bed with a good warm meal in my belly. I could almost feel the boat resting at anchor in my home port, gently rolling me to sleep, only to jump awake and realize it was just a dream, and that I was still slamming into waves and taking cold water down my sleeves and up my pant legs. (How does it do that?)
But I can tell you something else that is just as true. Once you have been out there and battled the sea gods, thrashing them into submission, and seen the glare of a bright sunny day after fighting a storm, you can never again sit snug in a harbor for very long.
The security of a good harbor is truly a wondrous thing, but as Tennessee Williams once said, “Security is a kind of death!” Once you are satisfied with the safe surroundings and decide to wander into harms way no more, then you will find your life starting to ebb away; the joy and thrill of victory no longer possible.
How can you enjoy victory without facing adversity?
Oh, don’t get me wrong. I am in no way saying that people should go out and do stupid things just to prove that they can do it. That would make me a star of the “Jackass” movies.
No, that’s not what I am trying to get across here. What I am trying to explain is that once you have tasted a little adventure, it is like a slow death to pass on an opportunity to head out and experience new adventures.
It’s true that the vast majority of people will choose security long before they will choose adventure. After all, it’s more secure, right? And it’s a lot more comfortable. If you never leave your house, you know you will probably be safe. No one will ever say safe is a bad thing. At least no one in their right mind.
Over the past few months, for the first time in 30 years, I have been without a boat. To tell you the truth, when we sold Lost Soul I felt relieved. Sure, I’d miss the sailing, but since I’m past the big six-oh I figured it might be time to think about slowing down. I mean, hell, I am a grandfather of six. Not a spring chicken anymore. When my father was sixty I thought he was old.
But guess what? Age is a relative thing, and relatively speaking, I guess I am just not ready to lay down and die. How does that old saying go? “Do you stop playing when you get old, or get old when you stop playing?”
Well, I am not ready to stop playing, so I guess I’m not ready to get old. How did I figure this out?
It’s easy. All of a sudden I watched as boats would leave the harbor, and I wanted to be on one.
Yeah, I know it’s cold out there. Yeah, my easy chair is just sitting there waiting for my overly large butt to plop in it. Hell, Jody’s even agreed to start passing me cold beers and learn how to knit.
But I am not old. There is no doubt in my alleged mind that when my grandfather was sixty he was an old man. I remember. He even smelled old. He hung around the house bothering grandma until she wanted to kick him out.
But even though the calendar says I am well past sixty, my body and my mind don’t agree. They figure I’m about 42. My mind thinks I am 30, and my body thinks I’m 50, so they decided to average it out.
All of a sudden, doing things like sailing around the Horn are starting to sound like sane things to do! I can’t wait until the new boat is finished so I can get out there and start living again.
Can I do it? Can I take off and sail across an ocean? Of course! I have no doubt. Like old Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can or think you can’t – you are right.”
So I guess any plans I had about retiring have now been pitched out the window. I know we all have to slow down sometimes, but not today. I am definitely not ready to do it today. I want back into the game, and my game is sailing.
I have always searched for wisdom, and it’s a hard thing to come by. Something I have learned is that, wisdom is to do the things while you are living that you wish you had done when dying.
