Musings of a cruiser
10 November 2016
Reflections from Heart and Soul in South America
I often find myself doing a reality check these days. Am I really 60? Do I really live on a boat in Valdivia, Chile (at the moment)? Did I just spend 6 months at home on Vancouver Island living in a 20 foot RV? Is it November now and is it getting warmer again? $1000 Chilean pesos is worth $2 Canadian dollars. $1000 Argentinian pesos is worth $100 Canadian dollars... Am I too old for this? How stressful is this way of life, anyways? Am I having fun?!
Does anyone else out there do this to themselves?
I'm guessing that we have a level of stress that we are used to living with and pretend we don't like it or not we will always lead ourselves to live in that level of stress - no matter where we are or what we choose to do. If Dave and I were living in a house in Canada - we'd be challenging ourselves to our accustom stress level over renovations, work or gardening - you name it! So I challenge the kind of thinking that goes something like..."lets get away from it all this stress - lets go sailing...( thought bubble: blue skies, sandy beaches, palm trees)." Yes you will get there- you will visit awesome places and have mind-blowing experiences. But you will also have challenged yourself to the old "can I take this anymore?!" level. What kind of stress? Money is obvious. Mechanical, electrical and structural maintenance and repairs. Okay, I personally don't take care of this side of things, but that doesn't mean I escape being stressed by it. There is no "local waters" for you out there anymore - so preparation 10 fold is the only way. This includes studying the local weather patterns, getting to know other cruisers in your area, being fully prepared with navigation systems, charts and cruising guides and of course familiarizing yourself fully with the countries laws and expectations. Other stressors of course are: getting by in a foreign language; foreign money; sleep deprivation and doing any day to day chores (be prepared - they take anywhere from 4 -12 times as long).
Hell yes - we're having fun. This is where the true reality check comes in - I cant believe that somehow we have managed to maintain this crazy lifestyle and be having so much fun! And then the old "Do we deserve to be having so much fun comes in..." But that is a whole other branch of psychology.