In 2021 I went through a spell of feeling rather disconnected from the spiritual life that had helped me so much. I carried on with the basics: meditation, looking after my body, spending time outdoors and practising gratitude. Gradually, something began to shift.
One morning I remembered a dream I had held since I was young: sailing around the world. I had worked at sea as a navigator and spent much of my life around boats. Yet I had let the idea drift out of sight. It seemed too difficult, perhaps too risky, perhaps simply too large to take seriously.
Thinking about it again brought back a sense of purpose. I spoke to Lieselle about the voyage, including the hard crossings and the days when we would probably wonder why we had ever begun. We watched sailing videos together and started looking for a capable cruising catamaran. At the time, a Catana 50 seemed the right boat for the journey.
That was a plan I was exploring in 2021, not a description of where our boats or lives are today. The details of a dream can change. What stayed with me was the feeling of waking up to possibility again.
Sometimes the thing we call being sensible is simply a quiet decision to stop asking what we want. We need to respect risk, of course. But we can also examine a dream, talk it through, learn what it would take and decide whether the first small step is worth making.
I had spent years encouraging other people to follow their hearts. It was a useful reminder to listen to my own.
Mark Elliot
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