Cindy's Perspective (Again)  August 7, 2014

I have a few things to say and I'll try very hard not to bore you.  I really only have two messages:

The first would be to all women out there.  I'm not sure how many women are readers of this blog.  My hope is that if a male is reading this and he sees something that might interest a woman in his life, he will advise her to read the blog.  Having said that, my message is pretty simple:
Ladies, if you have a dream, please pursue it.
Pursue it for yourself.
Men, bear with me for just a little bit.  My message comes from my heart.  I know it sounds mushy and so many men avoid mushiness for a lot of reasons and that's fine.  But women are different.  We do a lot of introspecting.  We may not share what we feel unless we feel safe doing so.  But it is still there.  Smoldering. Mine and Sam's story is a bit different than most.  And without sharing too much private stuff in a public forum, I can just tell you that we both had silent dreams.  After we got together and discovered that we had very similar dreams.  We decided to go after them together.  I'm not a fool to think that I could have done this sailing thing solo.  I'd like to think that I'm independent.  I have a good job and can support myself financially but buying a boat is only a very small part of sailing.  For me, the best part of sailing is sharing it with the man of my dreams.  But to say that I have conquered learning to sail by myself would be incorrect. Sam was able to do a lot Youtubing and reading on how to sail.  My best friend from high school's husband (Capt. Scott) was a sailor and we went on his boat once.  My niece's husband took me on a sailboat ride in the Pacific once and I can tell you that since that day, I knew I'd really like to learn.  Again the smoldering dream that resurfaced in a safe environment.  I didn't grow up around boats and boat engines or sailing and all the vocab that goes with sailing.  So, I had a LOT to learn and I still have a lot to learn.  Sam has been very patient with me and that has helped a ton.  We all can relate to trying to recall something under pressure and how hard that is.  Our minds freeze and we can't remember s!@* when that happens.  So having a patient partner really helps.  But ladies, if I can learn to steer a tiller, park a trailer, rig sails, and launch a boat, (ok, I still haven't mastered that yet, but by golly, so help me, I WILL learn to do that even when a bunch of men in bass boats are watching) you can too.  I promise you can do it.  Sam made a video of our summer journey with sailing and showed me last night.  Of course I cried when we watched it because I'm such a sap.  This sailing thing isn't really just about sailing.  It's really about our journey together. And that is my second message:
Please, whatever you do with your life......... stretch yourself.  I know it sounds cliche but its true.  The big perk for Sam and I is that we can stretch together.  And that makes it even more special.  I always watch interviews with older people and they talk about their "secret" to a happy life or their secret to longevity.  I find it kind of interesting.  There seems to be a theme and that is to have a sense of humor, forgive others, and keep moving and keep learning.  Sailing gives us the opportunity to laugh at ourselves, forgive our mistakes, move around the boat and learn how to handle new situations.  Perfect!  I'm going to live to be 110.
There are women out there who sail by themselves and I admire them so much.  I bet they grew up around sailing and boats or maybe they have a mechanical mind.  I just didn't grow up around it so I'm learning it at age 55.  And what might be something simple, like dropping someone off at a dock, is a new skill that has to be learned by a novice like me.  Kind of sounds like I'm making excuses.  And maybe I am.  But, instead of focusing on what I don't know, I'm trying to just focus on what I've learned.  And I want to encourage anyone who is interested in sailing to try it because it is AWESOME!!!!  And to share it with someone you love makes it even more awesome.
I've added another thing to my bucket list and that is to sail on all 5 Great Lakes.  And I think I know myself well enough to know that once we've done that, I'm going to want to sail on the Carribean.  I mean who wouldn't want to be sailing on the Carribean and not have Jimmy Buffett playing on the boat?  Another smoldering dream.......
My surprise early birthday present is going to add another fun feature to sailing days and evenings.  I love paddle boarding because of the accessibility it gives me.  I can explore coves and shorelines.  I also can work on keeping my balance strong.  I was so surprised when I unwrapped it.  I didn't think I'd ever get an inflatable and I envision that P2 will go with us no matter what body of water we decide to play on.
I know that I am VERY lucky gal.  I am healthy and I finally have someone that loves me for me.  I have a family that loves me and a good job.  Sam and I try to get as much out of every day that we possibly can. We've lived enough life to know that no one is promised a tomorrow.  And a phone call can change a life forever.  That knowledge makes our sailing adventures even sweeter because no one is promised a future.  However, the future is a fun thing to think about when you have a happy life.  And speaking of the future, don't tell Sam........ but someday, I hope we get a bigger boat.  Shhhhhhh..........