These are the Days
17 October 2013
Terri Potts-Chattaway
October 17, 2013
Sometimes we get so caught up in the chores of preparation we forget that, this too, is the journey. Just the nature of preparation speaks of living in the future. But we need to be here now in order to enjoy the present. Otherwise it escapes us and becomes our past all too quickly. The irony of this is, I must consider my past to remind me of what it is I am experiencing now. (Confused yet?)
Once again, the pressure builds as the days get closer to leaving the Port of San Diego for Mexico. There is still plenty to do, but a lot has been accomplished too. Jay, feeling the ultimate responsibility for our safety and the performance of the boat, wonders, "Is this fun?"
Yes, there has been a lot of work. Jay fixed the solenoid on the propane tank, is reviving our dinghy after a visit to the dinghy doctor, replaced the fresh water filter, and continually makes bungee cords to secure the ever-growing amount of items needed to stay on deck. I continue to follow through with paperwork, call banks, make appointments, order boat cards, etc. Today we started on the non-skid project. So, I agree, (what seems like) menial tasks and fixing things does get old and isn't much fun. But there is so much more.
We spent a day at Sea World with our children and grandchildren. We took a walk on Pacific Beach at sunset. I got lost looking for an ATM and discovered Balboa Park. Jay and I are both swimming daily and relax in the Jacuzzi. We have found some great restaurants; The Brigantine, Point Loma Seafood and the "best barbeque ever," Phil's BBQ. We pick up our grandson from kindergarten on Tuesdays and Thursdays and stay for dinner with Jay's daughter and son-in-law. We visited Cabrillo National Monument and Coronado Island. Jay and our friend, Bruce, toured the Midway, a retired Navy aircraft carrier. And my daughter, Talia, and I spent some quality mother/daughter time shopping and sipping wine in La Jolla.
Sure, amongst all this there have been trips to Downwind Marine and Ace Hardware, (Both, by the way, are so very helpful to their customers.) looking for parts for this and that, picking up paint and varnish and sitting in on seminars. New things break as old ones get fixed.
But we wake up every morning to a beautiful sunrise and a cup of coffee and go to bed each evening after a glass of wine and a beautiful sunset, both while sitting in the cockpit of our boat overlooking the marina. And even though I look wistfully out at other boats as they head out to sea, yearning to go with them, I know we will be joining them soon.
So this is it. We are here, now, cruising. These are the days.