What's your reason?

     I get a lot of e-mails. That's my own fault because I keep signing up for e-mail lists, usually having to do with homeschooling. One in particular stood out to me tonight. It was from Jennifer Dukes Lee--her "Top Ten with Jen" e-mail. In it was a link to a subscribers' freebie page, full of quotes and stickers. This one shouted to me and I decided to share.

     There really are. Sometimes I have to remind myself of those reasons and other times they leap out at me. My family makes me happy. My boat makes me happy. Most of the time, my life makes me happy.

 It isn't, of course, always a bed of roses. I get upset, frustrated, sad, anxious, you name it, just like everyone else at times. But you know what? Thankfully, those times are not the norm. I hope I can keep my reasons to be happy foremost in my thoughts, especially as we have entered the holiday season. What about you? What beautiful reasons do you have to be happy?

"Slow down and enjoy life"

     I'm way overdue for a new post on here, so I had to share a quote I found. Quick background: I've been reading a Stephen King book, which I don't think I have ever done before, not being a huge horror fan. However, a "mamas' writing club" I'm part of is reading his book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. I have to admit that I am thoroughly enjoying it. His insights into writing make me nod vigorously, sigh with envy, and then snort with laughter while my kids stare at me, wondering what in the world I'm reading.
      While I have underlined a large amount of passages in the book, one quote stood out to me because it applied to more than just writing. I've been searching through the book to find the context for the quote without any luck, so I'll just say it spoke to me enough to write it down in my little journal of "interesting quotes and passages."
       Eddie Cantor said, "Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only the scenery you miss by going too fast--you also miss the sense of where you are going and why."
       I wish I could find the background behind this quote. Was it a conversation he had with someone? Was it an interview with a newspaper? I have no idea, but I very much appreciate this sentiment. It reminds me of one of the best and most frustrating aspects of sailing. Let's face it. Sailing is a slow way to get anywhere. The fastest we have traveled on Kyrie was 12 knots, and that was slightly scary (we were surfing waves and had too much sail up for the amount of wind). For any other form of travel, 12 knots would sound very slow, but from Kyrie's back deck, the world seemed to scream by as I struggled to furl the genoa.
      6-8 knots, however, is a very comfortable speed for Kyrie. That rate allows her crew to take in the world around as we travel. I can see the exact route we are following and have time to take in and process the sights I see before they are out of sight. I retain that "sense of where [I am] going and why."
      I still don't know who all reads this blog. I know some of my family and friends do, and I certainly realize not everyone who does is a sailor, or even a person who enjoys time out on the water. However, I hope this speaks to you as it did to me.
      Take some time this week to slow down. Make a point to look at and appreciate the world around you. Whatever goal you are reaching for today, be sure you know where you are in life. At the risk of sounding trite, you can't be sure of achieving your goal if you're going so fast that you don't know where you are right now. Take some time to enjoy the scenery.