Whenever we tell people that we’re selling everything and moving onto a boat, we get two very distinct reactions… One is excitement and awe that we’ve decided to make such a bold move, and the other is a look of total confusion and the inevitable, ‘but, WHY?”
We believe that life is an adventure, and the best days lie ahead of us, not behind us. We spent the past few years stuck, just going thru the motions, and getting comfortable. That was the most dangerous part for us… the getting comfortable in the every day routine and not setting new goals to challenge ourself to work towards. For us the call to action was to take a RISK in life and to start doing things that are out of our comfort zone. Buying a sailboat with no prior knowledge of sailing seemed to fit the bill, so we just went ahead and did it. It could be anything to anyone – moving to a new city, taking a new job, getting a new hair cut. It’s all about taking the risk and reaping the reward.
We found this quote on a sailing blog a few months ago that pretty much sums up our new outlook for the future.
“I’ve always wanted to sail to the south seas, but I can’t afford it.”
What these men can’t afford is not to go. They are enmeshed in the cancerous discipline of “security.” And in the worship of security we fling our lives beneath the wheels of routine – and before we know it our lives are gone. What does a man need – really need? A few pounds of food each day, heat and shelter, six feet to lie down in – and some form of working activity that will yield a sense of accomplishment. That’s all – in the material sense, and we know it.
But we are brainwashed by our economic system until we end up in a tomb beneath a pyramid of time payments, mortgages, preposterous gadgetry, playthings that divert our attention for the sheer idiocy of the charade. The years thunder by, The dreams of youth grow dim where they lie caked in dust on the shelves of patience. Before we know it, the tomb is sealed.
Where, then, lies the answer? In choice. Which shall it be: bankruptcy of purse or bankruptcy of life?
– Sterling Hayden
But Why?
