On The Boat

Buchanan, NY
41 15.73 N 073 58.06 W

It is a splendid day.  We had a great time sailing down the most scenic part of the Hudson River.  Now, we are passing by the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant. There is just a hint of fall color beginning to appear in the trees.   Life is good.  We don't have a care in the world.

My friend Chuck just sent a compendium of our recent blog posts to our mutual high school alumni.  It is almost comical just to read the headlines of those posts regarding Storms Irene and Lee.  They show, fear, hope, frustration, elation, depression, worry, fret, and relief.  That's what makes them interesting I guess.

What makes those blogs interesting to classmates who don't live on boats?  Possibly because it is so different from their own lives.   Different how?  My friend Bob on Carpe Diem said it eloquently.   He said, "We don't live in a boat; we live on a boat."  When you live on a boat your existence is primarily outdoors. We are more exposed to the elements 24x7.   We are also exposed to forecasts of what the weather will bring to our near future.   I suppose that's a benefit, but it does result in a lot of hand-wringing and fretting that may not be necessary.  

"Normal" people who live mostly indoors are much less affected by weather. Nor to they have anyone foretelling what challenges they might be called on to face in the near future.  That is not unless they believe in astrology or fortune tellers.

In addition to living on a boat, we are also true nomads.  We move from place to place and enjoy the variety.  One can say that we have no home.   One can also say that we have more than 15 homes.  Both are partially true.  Every year we manage to explore new places, some of which may get added to our list of alternative homes.

But the biggest difference I think is that on a boat the emotional highs are higher and the lows lower than they are when living in a house, nor are we ever bored with life. Indeed, that's the appeal of this life style.  We remember and appreciate the highs while suppressing memories of the lows.