My subconscious yearning for the open water, started in my youth when I went sailing and yachting in South Africa. From 2 man dart cats to sailing on larger yachts in regattas on dams and in the open oceans, as well as a variety of watersports that I enjoyed over the years. I never knew or realized that it should have been a future I could choose, and live a life more full of adventure, discovery, and wonder. However, life and the humdrum of monotony took over as I fell into the familiar story of living on debt from paycheck to paycheck, with no end in sight.
From birth, we are taught that we have to have an education (12 to 15yrs or longer depending on chosen vocation) accept education debt, get a job or several jobs to fund the dreams of buying a home, having a car, children, and inevitably a mountain of debt to repay the rest of our lives. Then retire to some obscure existence staring out of a window wondering what the fuck happened to my life and what did I achieve.
Even before the shit hit the fan I was planning my exit strategy with a 1-2 year plan of action to free myself from the ties that bind me and take control of my own destiny beyond the border of my financial prison and servitude that has engulfed my every waking moment and indeed haunts me in my dreams. There has to be a better way forward, a more fulfilling existence than the one I have created for myself, which is a baron landscape of constant worry and discontent. Do we deserve a better life and what do I have to do to achieve this mammoth task and break free to forge a different path where I could also perhaps leave a legacy, a small footprint that is evidence that I was indeed an inhabitant of this world?
This Pandemic has no doubt given many people time to reflect on what is truly important in their individual lives from family to lifestyle and what we would like our futures to look like. Questioning is it too late and how can we make the changes that we so desperately want in order to live better lives in a Post-Corona world. Are we going to be kinder to our neighbors and strangers, offer help where possible, live a more eco-conscious lifestyle, drive less, spend more time in nature, or work on our physical and mental health?
There is an entire sub-culture out there of courageous people who live a more free lifestyle on the open ocean, traversing and circumnavigating the world, moving between anchorages in far-flung exotic locations, living in relatively small spaces. Essentially their floating homes from small sailboats to large Catamarans, these are the people that have chosen to live outside of the norm, for the most part, after dedicating years to the rat race, they have in many ways successfully transitioned to the life of "Cruisers" which is indeed a monumental accomplishment in itself. It is an exceptional challenge to let go of the concrete blocks that are the societal norms.
Could this be my or your future Post-Corona view, well it is on my Vision Board and perhaps with like-minded people, it could become a new collective reality. Wishing you all a very thoughtful weekend and enjoy some links to a few of my favorite Cruiser/Sailing channels, they are free and far more interesting than binge-watching a load of frivolous series on Netflix, lol.
Sailing La Vagabonde
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZdQjaSoLjIzFnWsDQOv4ww/featured
Sailing Sunday
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLtDhypFkM-GHg7AOiW7Qfw
Ran Sailing
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLYd5EnTTwUKhouIkHoqzMw
See The Little Things
https://www.youtube.com/c/seethelittlethings/featured
Sailing Magic Carpet