The Adventures of a Part Time Professional Gypsy (and her ginormous teddy thing)

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Impossiblity is everything


The very best things I've ever done were all once labeled impossible.

I'm a 29 year old barefooted gypsy, intrepidly traveling the world with a ginormous teddy and a cable-tied-together backpack; stopping regularly to gawk at magnificence and occasionally to lick national monuments, weirdnesses of nature, people of interest and hopefully some day a president... Not exactly what younger me [or my mother] envisioned for my life... 



After a whole morning spent throwing up over the railings of Fiddler, and an afternoon cuddling up with my old friend Buckie; I was seriously contemplating my purpose and place in life. I was pretty sure I'd missed my calling (unfortunately I hadn't missed the boat, I was on it...) I was also pretty sure that the next thing to be thrown up was my vital organs and that death was imminent.

(Meet Buckie; my best friend in all things spew related)

I watched helplessly as my crew steered us towards Antigua, knowing full well that surviving the 170 miles remaining was impossible. But finally (22 spews later, I was counting) I Managed to keep a seasick tablet and an apple down and eventually I found the strength to stand up again and by the next afternoon, we found land.



Antigua is the mega yacht capital of the world and cruising into Falmouth Bay we felt like a toy. After all, we are only 60 foot...


Perspectives change quickly though, only a couple of hours later we watched the first of the transatlantic rowers pull into the harbour. In light of their 46 days of constant paddling in a little raft tossed about by massive waves and capsizing thrice;  my triumph over a days seasickness seemed minuscule, and Fiddler seemed massive. 



I suppose it's all of life's challenges (both big and small) that remind us we're alive. And it's the victories in conquering them that make life worthwhile.

For the sail from Antigua to Barbuda, I was prepared. But after 2 months of cruising the Caribbean, dodging yachts left right and centre, I was totally unprepared for the raw, untouristed perfection that the island threw at me.


 
 


It was on a long solitary expedition of beautifulness that my mind kicked into reminiscive action. I thought long and hard about all the epic adventures I've had, all the incredible people I've met along the way, all the challenges I've overcome, and how much life as a gypsy has taught me. It struck me how all those times I was staring death in the eye, on the verge of broke-ness, feeling the loneliest ever, or completely overcome by purposelessness; that preceded all my lifetime highs! 

Yes, impossibility is everything. If it's too easy, it's probably not worth doing.

You may not feel like you've accomplished much in life, or you may feel like you're aimlessly floating through it; but sit back and contemplate the extraordinaryness of your life accomplishments thus far and I'm sure you'll agree that life is freaking fantastic and that in fact all things are possible!


No comments:

Post a Comment