Words that change your life

Having been reading blogs recently on several subjects that have a special interest to me I've decided I have to start one myself. It won't be a daily, or perhaps even a weekly, blog at first. It's about my life now that I have officially reached retirement age and what I plan to do with it.

I have been a reader all my life. I have wonderful memories of my maternal grandfather reading a chapter of Uncle Wiggly each night before going to sleep. That go me started. Words were wonderful. And they are powerful and life changing as well. The following quote had a profound influence on how I lived my life. . .

And the bright horizon calls! Many a thing will keep till the world's work is done, and youth is only a memory. When the old enchanter came to my door laden with dreams, I reached out with both hands. For I knew that he would not be lured with the gold that I might later offer, when age had come upon me.--Richard McCullough/Viking's Wake

What young boy growing up on Cape Cod and reading Treasure Island and Captain's Courageous and fed with tales of whaling adventures in nearby Nantucket and New Bedford wouldn't have a few dreams of sailing off over the horizon?

It was certainly so with me. Through my youth and early adulthood I had that dream. That desire to sail off over the horizon. I didn't dream about sailing around the world alone though I cherished and reread many times over Slocum's story and devoured stories of single-handed sailors and wished that I was one, too.

Too often real life intrudes. Working on boats was anathema to my parents. No, I was destined for college or else. And I went, interrupted for several years when I dropped out and joined the Navy. Then, while reading all the cruising stories that came my way, I returned to college, got married, and got involved in all kinds of ventures that had nothing to do with ships and the sea.

But the dream was always there in the background. I coveted all the graceful sailboats that were featured in the magazines and despaired of ever having one myself. Then my wife and I decided we didn't want to be married anymore and we got a divorce. It was completely amicable as we had no children and no property. In fact, I handled it all by myself. Typed up all the papers, went to the courthouse and in the end it cost $32.50 total. When I told my wife she reached in her purse and gave me $16.25!

So, there I was at 30 what to do now? I realized that I was never going to make enough money to have a boat and go cruising. I realized I wasn't willing to do to make that kind of money, and I realized that if you were willing to work that hard you wouldn't have the time to be out on the boat and having all the fun it should be.

Instead, I opted to work on someone else's boat and let them pay me to have the fun. I reached out with both hands and lived a very different kind of life than the one I had before. I've had some great adventures and will offer bits and pieces of them here.

Now, having signed up for my full Social Security benefits I'm looking for One More Good Adventure!

That's what this blog will be about.