Sailboats and Daydreams

Zach and I have had a daydream for a long time. When the kids are grown and out of the house, we want to use Zach's 6 months off a year to go sailing to far flung places. It's one of those dreams we quietly nurse, doing a little research, learning a new skill that might help us on our adventures, talking to people who've done what we want to do. We don't talk about it much to our friends and family. I don't know why. They'd (almost) all be supportive of us.

When we hatched this dream we were newlyweds, 20 and 24 years old sleeping on the floor of our itty-bitty one bedroom apartment because we couldn't afford a bed and driving around in our rusted out 1977 Dodge van, at least when it was working. On a whim we'd drive up the coast or out to Arizona to see Zach's dad who was, I kid you not, prospecting for gold. Life was simple and spontaneous.

We've lost a little of that since we had kids. Most people do. Don't get me wrong, I love our life, and we've made some unconventional choices. We have learned to live on very little money and value flexibility and time together over financial security and status. But for the last five years there's this voice in the back of my head (a voice that sounds remarkably like my grandma) that follows me around telling me, "You can't do that, you have kids now" or "What would people think? You need to get your life in order." We didn't set out to be conventional, but time and other people's expectations have worn us down.

Then last night, as I sat down to fold a load of laundry I turned on the TV to find Ice Blink, a documentary about a family of five who sails around the world. Both Zach and I sat there, riveted and inspired by this family and their story. While we have no intentions of taking off into the wild blue yonder ahead of schedule, it did help us to see that the spontenaiety and fun-loving
spirit that defined our early years isn't something we have to give up just because we have a family. Within the framework of our stable, loving home, a little adventure could be a good thing for our kids. Life is full of the unexpected. That's what makes it so interesting, whether it's white-water rafting or "Night Waffles" at a 24-hour diner at 3AM.

Read the biography of any great perosn. A dose of audacity, a little self-confidence and a healthy trust that God will provide have proved time and time again to be essential tools for a fabulous life. I know they have been essential to me.