WAKING UP ON THE BOAT


Definitely we term it a 'boat' as it dwarfs beside the elite yachts moored up front in the marina. Some of them are so sleek and ultra-modern, but of course, they are not sail-driven. They have high powered engines and rush around at frightening speeds. . Between fuel and staff required, such vehicles only belong to the 1-5%, whoever they are.

My boat, in that pre-dawn hour when I wake up is part of the living Earth. There is a very slight motion as the boat pulls against the ropes. Just enough to let you know that control has been given up to the ocean. The Caribbean is gentle with a tide that lifts and lowers about a foot in this season.

There are sounds that become a background to life aboard. The overhead ropes hit the mast from a gust or breeze, slightly metallic. Steady wind brings a rhythmic, random pattern of rapping. The boat itself creaks a tiny bit from the various stresses. Then the sound of the hull rubbing against the bumpers along the wooden dock. Great weight (15 tons) sliding forward and back with a soft groan that's partly the rubber of the inflated bumper. It all blurs and blends into a lullaby for sleeping and waking. If there's rain or a storm, the tone of all the sounds and motion changes with the warning touch of the living ocean.

We are an undeniable part of this Earth...no matter how hard the great cities try to pave a separation, the elements converge with wind, rain, snow, eruption, and quakes. Massive storms cover half a continent with snow or drought. Hurricanes and typhoons ravage the edges of the land. The Universe sends solar flares and meteors and moves around the magnetic poles.

Look around you. The separation is as fragile and thin as the fabric you wear to protect your body and the shoes on your feet When I wake up in the mornings, I am constantly reminded of the enormous power we are part of. Be aware and respectful of this living Earth.

>>>iggy

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