One of the silver linings of this pandemic has been an increase in people changing the way they view their lives and the world. There’s a visible shift in what people cherish and find most important.
And I can include myself in that grouping. Over the last year or so, I’ve tried to rethink the decisions that I make and the direction that I am going.
One of the major shifts in my mindset has been to focus more on doing what makes me happy and brings me joy and satisfaction, without regards to the opinions of others.
Another has been to act on my dreams, which has prompted this article.
I also feel like I need to insert a little caveat here. I am comfortable. I am safe. I have a good life, steady job, friends and family close by. I know who I am from an eternal perspective.
But, I’m ready for a change. A big, life-changing shakeup to get my blood pumping. I’m not looking for an escape. Not an excuse to run away.
I want something exciting that will carry through for a while. I first experienced something like this when I left for college.
Again when I started working at Disneyland.
Another when I moved to Utah.
Then when I studied abroad in Germany.
I think I’m addicted to starting afresh?
Maybe. Maybe not. But I have come to discover that I’m a dreamer, which has something to do with it.
Dreams are interesting phenomenons. Everyone has them. Not everyone talks about them, however. And even worse, most people keep dreaming.
They rarely act or even attempt to achieve their dreams.
There’s a rather famous Disney song that talks about dreams, and that if you wish hard enough, your fairy godmother will show up and fiddle her wand around, transform some garden vegetables and rodents, and then BOOM!
Your wish comes true.
For just a few hours.
Seriously Disney, what’s up with that? Most trial periods last at least 24 hours!
I love Disney, but that just seems too easy.
During these last few years, I was able to finally internalize something. I realized that if I don’t ACT on my dreams, I won’t get any closer to fulfilling them.
And that’s a shame. We all deserve to reach our goals, realize our dreams, and live the best life possible.
But it requires action. Part of that, for me, at least, involves a little bit of social accountability.
Hence, this article.
It’s time to finally voice my dream.
Drumroll please…
My dream is to own my own sailboat and sail around the world.
To earn money, I want to run charters in the Bahamas and other tropical destinations, crew on other boats, and be a content creator (not an ‘influencer’).
That’s right. I want to give my sea legs a fighting chance. I want to be a professional sailor.
After years of dreaming about it, I decided to do something about it. And I can thank this pandemic for giving me the final push.
Or at least, making life so crazy and mundane at the same time, that I am spurred into action.
Well, by the time this posts, I will have already completed sailing school and have since returned home.
Now, to most of you that know me well, this will seem like something completely out of left field. So random.
How in the world did this become an option for me? Where did this come from?
I’m not really sure. It’s been coming on so gradually for years and I’ve wrestled with my memory to determine the exact origin. But I can pinpoint a few moments that have definitely contributed to this new desire.
I’ve always been drawn to the ocean. Some of my fondest memories growing up in California involve time spent along the shores of the Pacific Ocean: Newport Beach, San Diego, Dana Point, Catalina Island, Santa Barbara, and San Francisco. There’s always been something about living on the edge of the world, staring off into the horizon that has been healing, soothing, invigorating, magical to me. When I moved to Utah in 2009, I struggled with feelings of being land-locked…to the point that I would take weekend drives down to California to see family…and dip my toes back into the ocean. Over a decade later, the feelings and urges remain.
A sunset catamaran ride in St. Thomas after a friend’s wedding deserves credit as well. After my friends Megan and Kevin got married, as a thank you to their guests, they hired a catamaran to take us on a sundowner cruise. As we motor-sailed around the island, sipping on drinks (Pepsi for me!), I remember sitting on the starboard side, dangling my feet off the side of the boat, giggling at the turtles that came to pay us a visit. Straight-up magic.
Years and years ago, like, when I started thinking about creating a travel blog (we’re talking almost 8 years), I found a blog called It’s a Necessity. A Canadian couple was raising their 2 young girls aboard a monohull sailboat, traveling around, finding jobs, homeschooling, basically just living their best lives…but on a boat. I’d never heard of this before and was instantly hooked. Their lives seemed so different from what I knew, and yet similar. The mother wrote about her struggles with keeping their toddlers safe, teaching them how to swim, remodeling parts of their boat. Sounds idyllic, right? But the best part was that she didn’t hold back from divulging the downside as well. She talked about the struggles and challenges they faced as well…but it was so intriguing.
I followed their journey for a while, and then started to seek out other sailors, in a sense. Like many others, I found a few sailing YouTube channels and they’ve since become my favorites: Sailing La Vagabonde and Gone With the Wynns. Both channels focus on a couple living aboard their catamarans, sailing around the world while working. It was exciting, new, and a seed was planted.
Not too long after, my new roommate Aly moved in with me and told me that she also used to live on a sailboat with her family. They would spend 6 months traveling around the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico on a boat, then spend the other 6 months on land. Okay, so here’s a real life, I-know-this-person example of living on a sailboat? I guess it is doable!
I’m sure I’m leaving out a few moments that contributed, but you get the idea. This isn’t a rash decision.
Well, if you’ve been thinking about it for such a long time, why haven’t you said anything before?
Everyone I Know
How often do you divulge your desires, hopes and dreams? As humans, we’re not in the habit of regularly voicing our deepest desires. We fear judgement. Hostility from some. And then when we can’t achieve it, the shame of having to admit it.
There have been many times in my life when I don’t voice certain things until I achieve them. For me, the worst part of not achieving something is having to relive it as I tell others (when they ask). I guess I don’t like to publicly fail.
For example – years ago, there was a time when I was preparing to move to another state for a job opportunity. I told a few friends/colleagues that I trusted. Well, the opportunity fell through. Every time I saw someone who knew about the potential move would ask when I was going, why was I still here, etc. It was a knock to my ego and heart every time I had to explain that I failed. Well, that the opportunity fell through. But you get the idea.
Those times are over. The pandemic made sure of that. I’ve learned that part of working on achieving my goals is to talk about them. Put them out there. Vocalize them and then work hard so that they will manifest.
At the end of 2020, the seed of becoming a sailor blossomed. I could no longer ignore the dream.
I started to do some research and write out the steps that I needed to put into action in order to reach my goal for my next adventure.
First things first – I needed to find out if I actually could sail, would enjoy it, or would be plagued with seasickness the entire time.
So I found the best sailing school option that I could: Blue Water Sailing School out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I saved up and registered for a week-long, live-aboard sailing school, certified by the American Sailing Association (ASA).
After registering for my course, I received 4 textbooks in the mail. That’s right. Textbooks. 4 of them.
You see, the beauty of taking this course is that it includes instruction, textbooks, and testing to obtain official certifications through the ASA. What this means is that instead of just having the knowledge floating around and being able to put this on my resume, I’ll have various certifications from a recognizable and respectable association, proving that I know what I’m doing.
This gives me the sort of street cred (or…blue water cred?) to give me an edge when searching for jobs.
Similar to earning a certificate at a university, in a sense. Just a little different setting.
Another caveat needed: I’m not looking to run away. I have no need to escape my life. I just want to try something new. Sailing isn’t a hobby, it’s a lifestyle that I want to give a go.
I’ll be writing more about the whole process later, including what the certifications are, what was required in the reading, what I learned about sailing and about myself, and what the next step on my journey will be.
As of right now, I’m still trying to figure out if this dream can become my reality. There are so many things to factor into a life-altering decision as this – essentially changing careers – and I want to give it proper thought.
I’m writing this a month before I fly to Florida. I don’t know how I’ll feel after, to be honest. I don’t know if this is going to become my next chapter.
If anything, I’ll at least have some more information to make an informed decision. Will I love sailing as much as I hope I do?
Will I crash and burn?
Will I be “meh” about everything instead?
I have no idea. The point is, however, that I am DOING SOMETHING ABOUT MY DREAMS! And that’s the idea – going after something to see if it works. If not, at least I’ll know and can have the closure I need to pursue something else.
No matter what the outcome is, I’ll have plenty of stories to tell, pictures to share, and memories to last a lifetime!
STAY TUNED FOR A SAILING SERIES!!!!!!!
Would you ever voice your deepest desires and goals?
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