Big Day Minus One
September 13, 2011
As is always the case, one can find reasons to look at upcoming events such as major surgery in relatively. We all know friends and family ( I always wondered why it is put that way. Aren’t Family friends?) who are being challenged with life issues. As we age things seem to snowball. Folks in our age group are jumping or falling off the planet with alarming regularity. Those left behind are challenged to put that in the best light and to deal with the effects of all the stupid things we did as younger people. As for me, I am feeling all those things my Dad warned me about. “Don’t carry that thing that way. You will pay for it later. I remember every parachute jump because many years after the fact, there is something not working because of it.
There is great truth to the saying that if one plans to go cruising; one should do so now, before it is too late. Magazines are loaded with articles of young folks who have answered the call of the sea and sailed the world’s oceans. That is not irresponsibility. It is recognizing that it is not all wrong to prioritize things and pack as much in every day that is possible so that one can speak about the magic, the tragedy and still call it a good life. Those of us who “did the responsible” thing and waited until retirement, are remembering, as we watch younger crew jump around on deck, how it felt to climb the mast; how nothing physical seemed impossible. Ok, so a little fender bender has side tracked the crew of Why Knot for a bit but we have the outlook that it is not over and that we will be back aboard in a better physical shape.
Bear gets a partial repair tomorrow which will side track her for a few months. Hopefully, she can climb the mast after that—or not.