Daily Mood Quote
Day 99 – August 10, 2011
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones that you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
~Mark Twain
The funny thing is, it was more than 20 years ago, in fact is was 29 years ago that I set my sails and tacked out into the seas of life. (lots of metaphors today, “batten down the hatches!”) I was young, inexperienced, uneducated and untrained for life. I stepped on the plane and sat in my seat. I was nervous, scared and anxious, because I didn't know what to expect. I was also excited, enthusiastic and ready for something new and different.
The day was February 21, 1983, my “Independence Day” (thanks Bill Pullman as President Whitmore from the movie Independence Day). I was eighteen and on my way to Orlando, Florida for boot camp. It was a long road to be accepted into the United States Navy. Like many things in my life at that time, I had to fight to be accepted and eventually I was. Now, I found myself on a jet (my first ever) gripping the seats armrests, clinching my teeth and holding my breath as I watched the plane take off. I had a middle seat and it was exciting.
Now here I sit, many years later, looking back on life and trimming the sails for the rest of life. I can't say “my life” anymore because it's not just my life any longer. I have a husband, children, and pets and whatever adjustments are made, they must be made with everyone's input. I have met people throughout my life who control every aspect of their and their families lives, and I see misery, lack of enthusiasm for life and lost gusto for adventure. They have everything, a beautiful home, money, affluent friends, nice cars, etc... but no peace or genuine experiences to share “so they have everything and yet they have nothing” (thanks Iron Man). From canned vacations to desperately seeking social acceptance, they resign themselves to viewing life from a safe distance and haven't really braved the vast seas of their potential. The choice is; do you dare to set your sail into the potentially stormy seas of life, or stay “stuck” in safe harbor and only gaze upon the ocean of possibilities.
If you stay in safe harbor, you will have plenty of company. I haven't met many intrepid voyagers out here. Perhaps that's because the ocean of possibilities is so big and passages seldom cross. I don't really know. Granted, as anyone who has traded stocks on Wall Street will tell you, large rewards of any kind entail large risks. So, as you sail, you may come upon a hidden reef, or shoal and run aground. Even the best captains in history have done that. Or, occasionally like us, you may encounter The Perfect Storm of circumstances and be capsized without warning. That's the risk you take. But in my experience, you don your vest, man the life boats and paddle on. The alternative is to surrender and sink... that's not an option, so we paddle on.
In the movie, Titanic, Jack (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) said to a group of wealthy passengers, “I figure life's a gift and I don't intend on wasting it. You don't know what hand you're gonna get dealt next. You learn to take life as it comes at you... to make each day count.” The point is, life is a gift and we are the captains and navigators of our lives... and the sea? Well, she doesn't care, she just is. We can always appreciate it from a distance wondering “what if”, or we can sail out into the mysterious waters and embrace the journey. Amelia Earhart said, “Adventure is worthwhile in itself.”
How will you set your sail today?
Tune in tomorrow to read the daily mood quote
Thank you for reading
