A big trip can wear you down, and returning from exploration can make you feel nostalgic for the comforts of home-- but what are they really? It's a hot shower, a decent grocery store, a kitchen, a comfy bed, a kindness from friends... you know? I'm pretty sure I know how to find the comforts of home in every port I visit.
What's more rare is the feeling of swaying to sleep in a safe hull, knowing everyday, everything you need, though minimal, is right there. There's no replacing the feeling of boat life. Yea, we got cravings: Old Town Cafe, Tony's coffee, but the basal comforts of home is reliability and stability.
On land, I am blessed to have close family and friends who are dedicated to understanding, growing and self-enhancement. They are the ones who I can always rely on for advice and wisdom, and they are truly soulful enough for me to miss them when I leave. But, it is these people who insist I travel and send them stories.
Other than that, a place is not completely reliable. Humans are about as stable as the rocking sea. Land for me has become a place where people are tossed to an unnatural degree of slavery and obligation. Once you have cruised, the amount of freedom on land just becomes disproportionate.
So many people are inhibited into never moving forward or letting go because they can't face their darkness or lacking with a clever eye. Sailing taught me to just keep the necessities, keep an eye open, because you risk missing something wondrous. With the love of my partner, Vince, in my heart, and the love of my family, all I need is a small backpack of things to keep me going and get me inspired.
Sailors have to be seasonal. I suggest making seasonal plans to fit your boat's life. Gardening is a great way for me to work and travel, I am looking into an opportunity to go to Alaska to work for the summer.
Vince has a couple projects, all boat related. The trimaran's getting a haul out, too. Hawaii is still calling us, so we are keeping our intentions to the west until we get some money and repairs made. We are in a position to reassess and re-orient towards a goal. This is hard, and has been made more difficult by some, but we have had time to think and appreciate extreme beauty and grow from harsh lessons, that's the comfort of home, not the place or the convenience. To have a calling and a vision, and fill it with wisdom and compassion (and PATIENCE.... ugh....) it feels great to begin looking in a watery direction once more.
Seneca said: "If a man knows not to which port he sails, no wind is favorable."