However Long It Takes

Living in Switzerland, I have become incredibly spoiled with the public transportation system here. Compared to growing up in New York and condemned to waiting endlessly on subway platforms with no information announcements, (it has improved since the 70’s), the dependability and accuracy of Swiss timetables is breathtaking. Trains, trams, busses and ferries manage to be majorly, magically on time.

Sailing has a tenuous grip on the word time. Wind is anything but dependable. A weather forecast is exactly that, a prognosis. Which crystal ball are they gazing into today? Will it happen? Best not to count too heavily on it. How long will it take to sail from A to B? It takes however long it takes. Sometimes twice as long, sometimes twice as fast. It doesn’t matter, it is not about how much time it takes. It is about enjoying the time as it is happening. Sailing has given me a new appreciation of time. Settling back and enjoying the ride, the air, the sounds of the water. It has slowed me down to be in the moment. I am trying, but not always succeeding, to infuse the rest of my life with this state of mind. Calming down, enjoying more.