SAILING

I just got off the boat 24 hours ago. I was taking sailing lessons in Traverse City Bay off Lake Michigan. We were on a 39 foot yacht. My friend and I were with the Captain and another student going from port to port.  We slept on the boat, studied on the boat and practiced anchoring, saving a “crew overboard”, docking and handling sails in various kinds of wind. We sailed with the 15 knot winds, into the wind on calm waters, and in the stormy waters of 10 to 12 foot waves.(Now that was a real adventure, trying to hold the wheel and steer a course with waves rising and falling, pushing the 18000 pound vessel at will.)

But what I am feeling now is the moving sensation while standing and sitting still. It still feels like I am on the boat even after being on terra firma for these 24 hours. My head feels like it floating.

This adventure makes me aware of how the body adapts. While on the boat, I learned to move the muscles in my body to keep my balance in the rolling waves. My head learned to keep my brain relatively stable as the waters moved the body back and forth.  But, now that I am on land, the brain is taking some time to adjust to the surface under my feet not being in constant motion.

I am grateful for this feeling. It reminds me of how adaptable the human mind and body are. We can move from one environment to another and there is something in us that enables us to continue to be who we are. Our lives may change and feel as if the world has fallen apart and out of control. Winds and waves may apply their pressures.  But, humans are resilient. We are created to adapt to the constant changing reality of life itself. That is how we live and continue to flourish.

So, I feel my brain struggling to stand still.  And I am thankful.