Life is Amazing

Sitting in my easy chair, watching my granddaughter play with her dolls and stroller, it dawned on me that she, at 18 months old, is already a complete person. A person with likes and dislikes, wants and needs. Simply put, she has her own identity. Some would call it a soul and it is a real and tangible thing. If you have ever had the displeasure of seeing a person die, as I have, you would not doubt that a persons spirit  exists.

I an not a religious person, meaning that I do not subscribe to the established religious mumbo jumbo, but I do believe that things exist beyond the scope of our ability to understand them. If you look into the eyes of someone that is dying and see the fear and pleading in them as they slowly stare at you without seeing; the person that you once knew is no longer there and only the empty shell of their body remains; you will understand that the spirit does exist and it has traveled somewhere that we can not follow. At least not while we are alive.

Life is precious, it is a gift that many take lightly, some never get a chance to live while others squander theirs on drugs and alcohol. Death is the price that we all must pay for the privilege to live and I don't understand how some people waste their gift enslaving themselves to oppressive religions. We were given the ability to do and experience many of the very things that religion would wish to suppress. Is not beauty a gift from God? If so, why would we as mere mortals cover one of Gods creations?

"The Gods envy us for our mortality, because we live life with a passion, never knowing when it might end", Live your lives the way you want to, cherish the moments, feelings, dreams, and happy times that come your way because when your spirit takes that journey away from your staring eyes, regret shouldn't be your last thought.

Best sail of the year

Saturday the weather was amazing; add in a steady breeze from the Northwest, and you have the makings of a perfect sailing day. We started off the day grilling beef kabobs and enjoying them along with potato salad in the cockpit of the boat. Cool breezes and sunshine mixed with the gentle swaying of the boat made lunch even more enjoyable. After stuffing ourselves we headed out on the lake.

Having Martina's parents with us, we opted to use only our front sail so the boat wouldn't heel too much. We set the sail and pointed her bow towards the dam at the southern end of the lake. The wind was from the perfect direction to reach the dam on a single tack. The lake was a little choppy but Aquilon glides through the waves like a champ and it wasn't uncomfortable at all.

It took about two hours to round the point at Cole's Creek and approach the dam. We had the company of fish jumping out of the water and birds floating by on the trip down. There were plenty of other boats on the water enjoying the perfect day too. There is nothing more majestic than seeing a boat under full sail glide silently past as if pushed by invisible hands.

After a time, we turned Aquilon around and headed back towards the Marina, We tacked once to get around the point jutting out from Cole's Creek and then set a course straight into the mouth of the Marina. We made it back in record time and could have sailed all the way in, but common sense prevailed and we dropped sail to motor in.

After securing our sails and equipment we reluctantly headed back home; but with the memory of a beautiful sail on a beautiful sailing day.