Sailing

My Dad took my brother and me sailing when we were young at Lake Thunderbird in Central Oklahoma.

It's still vivid to me today:

The sound of the sails cutting through the wind & water splashing my face. Rusty lake water stained by the Oklahoma red dirt. Feeling the warmth of the sun on our skin, cooled off by lake water splashes now and then. 

All of these things stay with me in memory and spirit like a treasure.

As an adult I've revisited sailing with my Dad many times gleaning a personal life lesson...

With my Dad at the helm, my brother & I sat across from each other on either side of the little sail boat enjoying the wind and spray on our faces. The winds shift though, and with the shift in wind Dad would need to shift the sails to accommodate. The winds could also be rather strong- at least to a little girl & her brother. 

It's important to maintain balance on a small sail boat. The risk of a strong wind capsizing is real...

Dad would direct us- "Move to my right and put your weight into it," and we would- sailing along with smiles from ear to ear as he steered the sails.

As winds changed, or he was steering a different direction and changing his sails, he would direct us to the other side always reminding us to put our weight into it to maintain balance, holding the little boat steady. 

We would continue likewise until he steered us back to the boat ramp at the end of our outing. 

(Yes, we all wore life vest!)

During times of personal reflection I've thought of these days many times in my life, distilling what I can learn from the experience.

I relate to the world in terms of energy. Energy and how it moves is how I interpret everything. It's my main lense of perspective.

My understanding is most, not all things come down to cause and effect. 

(You don't have to see the world as I do, I'm just explaining my perspective.)

The lesson I pulled out as an adult is about holding the line and anchoring focused intention in times of shifting personal and world climates, chaos & change in general. There's also a lot to be gleaned here about teamwork.

We all experience times of calm waters; the troubled waters and choppy seas always follow (or maybe they were first when we were born?)...the waters always settle again though don't they? 

My thought, I'll leave with you is that for me, this is an example of faith, belief, or whatever one calls it- as focused intention/energy in action which requires our active participation to maintain balance, holding the line until we've seen a thing through full course.

Is a key to life navigation learning how to hold a steady course with our energy and intentions?

I'll leave it with you to decide for yourself. 

✨I hope you have a great day. ✨

@baccusbee