Living gratitude
and letting go of that which
serves nothing is key
When I first went sailing with friends, I was in California, where running aground is relatively rare, as typically the water gets really deep really fast. If you walk out into the water, you are usually well over your head, and unable to touch the bottom, less than a hundred feet from shore.
Not so on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Tampa Bay, where I lived for many years, is well known for shallow waters and quickly shifting sands, which lead to inaccurate nautical charts, and frequent groundings even by seasoned sailors and boaters.
And weekend boaters, many of whom don't even bother with charts, are even more frequently in need of having their boats towed off of sand bars and oyster beds by Sea Tow, which gets very pricey very fast.
One evening my then-boyfriend (later husband) Michael and I arrived at the little beach at my apartment complex, where he kept his Hobie cat rigged and at the ready, ready for an evening sail, only to discover that the tide was out and the water was over a quarter of a mile from us and the boat.
Oops. Another night then.
I have walked out into the Gulf waters in some parts of Florida to discover that, nearly half a mile from shore, I was still in waist-deep water . . . and I'm only 5' 2" tall.
I took this photo in January 2009, on a trip to Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, Florida, which is about an hour south of where we were living in Largo. I visited the gardens, which are amazing, with Marek's sister Malwina, who was visiting from Poland.
I remember feeling badly for the owners of the boat, wondering if they were even aware of its predicament, and feeling grateful that it wasn't my boat and that I didn't have to deal with the problem. I had been there with our own boats often enough to know very well how much fun it isn't. ;-)
More recently, I found it quite interesting, during a seriously "dark night of the soul," that despite my despondence, I still found a great deal to be grateful for, in the middle of it all. One of the greatest blessings of living with eyes opened.
This is a short post because I arrived home shortly before 4 AM my time, and it's time to sleep, but I didn't want to miss my post.
I did miss my post last night due to time constraints, and will make up for it tomorrow when time allows, and I'll edit and properly format this one after I awaken.
Marek told me that, although he had a fire going in our fire pit out back, Lolo was lying in the spot where I usually park my car, in front of the house, awaiting my return. Our blessings are many if we simply open our eyes and hearts.
Have a wonderful Sunday and I love you all!
And I would love to hear your take in the comments.
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All words and images are my own.
The photo of our dog, Lolo, and our late cat, Miod, I took as they were cooperatively begging at the dinner table, despite our longstanding rule of not feeding them from the table. You can see how much that deterred them both.
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