Wednesday, November 17, 2010

EBB AND FLOW

Beaufort, SC 32º25.837N | 80º40.583W
All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another.  --Anatole France 
A friend of Chip's put this quote on Facebook, on a day that I have been feeling melancholy. I know, poor me, living my dream, on a sailboat headed south to warm tropical islands. I tried that on myself for a few days, but this is a record of what it's like to go cruising, and there it is. Melancholy.

Since we left Manteo on October 23, we had an immediate goal to attend the wedding in Jacksonville, where we would meet up with Chip's family. The wedding was beautiful and perfect, and now it's past.

On Sunday, we said goodbye and drove back to the boat alone, left behind by all our new cruising friends who have now moved on, way past us into Florida.

I guess it should not surprise me that leaving behind everything and everyone I know would at some point make me sad. But in a bizarre twist, I now miss people that didn't even live nearby. I miss my kids in western North Carolina. I miss my family in New Mexico. I miss Chip's parents in Delaware. I miss friends scattered far and wide.

The people I love are a deep well that gives me energy, inspiration and refuge. The physical absence of some of that flow has made me aware of the greater pool.
All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves...
Yes, the cruising life is one I most longed for, but many parts of myself are scattered behind, held by people I love.

And I miss them.

Tomorrow we untie the lines and move on.

Beaufort, SC 32º25.837N | 80º40.583W

1 comment:

  1. Looking forward to having you guys catch up to us so we can hang out again. We'll be in this area for the next week or so so you'll have plenty of time.

    Mike

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