The time is now

I am back from a 24 hour sail. What a crazy person I am to be so dead tired and to think that going without sleep and being physically exhausted is good. Yet, even though I swore this morning that I would not do something so grueling again, this evening I am thinking of the next adventure.

I am glad that my career as a scientist and being on research vessels prepared me for being on the water at night. The big swells and the swoosh of the waves beneath the hull is both scary and exhilarating. It felt almost hypnotic at times. And it took quite a while to get where I was headed.

Sailing isn't for those who have to be some where in a hurry! This isn't a sleek racing boat but a heavy full keel solid cruiser. She is made for coastal and blue water sailing. I felt really secure with her as we made our way back home. There certainly was a lot of time to think! I was grateful to watch the crescent moon rise this morning and see the sun rise as I made my approach to the sea buoy. It was a comfort to have the dawn come and to be nearly home.



Last night, I thought about all those things that I wanted to do or be when I grew up. Do you remember those times when you were young and would say that there was plenty of time to do this or that? I can remember thinking that there would be time to hike or cycle across the country, time to have children, time to accomplish great things, time to feel happy and live filled with joy. Some of those things have come true for me, while others were the dreams of a young person who thought there would be plenty of time to get around to fulfilling the dreams. These days I realize that the time is here to make the dreams happen. There may very well be lots of time left, but I am not planning on what I am going to do in 20 years. I simply am doing and living life as if the next 20 years won't come.

But tonight it is good to be home. I missed my sweet heart, the animals, and the land. It was nice to be in a new town for a week, to meet some great people, get to some new meetings, and sail there and back. But nothing beats being home. I was ready to get back.

And with that I am going to close my eyes and get some much needed rest in a bed that will not be swaying, except in my imagination.