“A ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for.”
― William G.T. Shedd
I think I have been playing it safe for far too long. It has been years since I did something wild, something that made my heart pound in my chest. Something that I may potentially have to apologize for.
Instead, I have been asking permission. Not just from the people around me, but from the universe as a whole. And when there is no response, I accept it as a decline, and do nothing.
Even last year, when I dragged the husband off to a music festival on another continent, it was safe. I planned it all upfront, made sure we had all the right equipment, and even packed emergency rations, for in case. I played it safe.
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
― Mark Twain
My heart is yearning for adventure. Let’s commandeer a ship, it shouts, and sail the oceans till we find Tartarus. Let us chase the stars to the end of the rainbow. Let us swing from the rings of Saturn.
My head. My damned head. It keeps spoiling the fun. The conversation goes something like this:
Heart: Let’s go commandeer a ship
Head: Seriously? The closes harbour is 700km away. And besides, it is not like in Pirates of the Carribean. You can’t just walk up and commandeer a ship these days. It is a little more complicated than that.
Heart: Oh yeah? Just follow me, and I will show you. We can do this. And sail the oceans and-
Head: No, seriously. Sail? Ships use engines and fuel these days.
Heart: We’ll erect a mast (*giggle*) hoist a sail and off we go.
Head: And what about the family?
And so they’ll continue, until head eventually switches off body and forces heart to go sleep. And so, I spend more and more time sleeping now.
My heart is broken at the moment – a completely different story that I am sure I will eventually allow myself to think about – so head is winning the battle. But, even through the pain, every heart beat longs for adventure. Maybe it is because of the pain that the longing for adventure is even stronger at the moment.
“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!”
― Hunter S. Thompson
Luckily, there is another adventure planned for the near future. Maybe this time, I can not overthink it, and allow my heart to also wander and explore. Although, I am travelling with my husband and daughter, so head may just win again. Or maybe, just maybe, head will listen to me and allow heart to lead the way.
2 comments:
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Do you think life will ever be safe?
Life is considerably safer in other countries. South Africa has a higher death rate than war-torn countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan. And you can feel the difference when you're in another country.
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