My Dad often chose sailing metaphors – he had loved to sail; he had a boat and a sea kayak, which he frequently paddled across the Firth of Forth, with friends, for a pint on the other side! He couldn’t swim and they didn’t have life-jackets – giving cavalier new meaning with their breath-taking adventures. Until one of his friends drowned in a stormy swell, one Sunday evening ….
So, he really knew what he was talking about when he once told me,
“Sometimes you will get tossed around and confused in rough seas”
You see, he was on a mission to help me to stay on course and I can still feel his encouragement.
Sailing life’s waves means at times we will get blown off course, at others we’ll be languishing in the doldrums, and then, sometimes, a storm will whip up out of nowhere. When we find ourselves in rough seas it is our mind that determines whether we think we are all serene on an ocean liner or clinging on to a tattered life-raft.
When I chose “anchored” as my word for 2021 I did not mean secure in a safe harbour I meant anchored to my values, my intuition and my highest goals. But you see, sometimes even the mind gets tired of clinging on! Sometimes we do need to navigate back to a safe port, stop fighting big waves and have some time just bobbing along. Space to reappraise our direction and also conserve energy, so we can continue to move forward with enthusiasm. It is also time to acknowledge progress, re-tune to our intuition and strengthen our boundaries – remembering to say “no” to anything that over-burdens us or weakens our focus!
So, as we approach the year end, consider putting down your anchor and giving yourself a chance to focus on your next steps, find greater clarity and recharge – it’s time!
