Walking Sideways

"You gambled and you lost.  Accept it and move on."

Wise counsel from various sources, particularly Nick (who once again comes up with hilarous lines and Greek philosophical perspective to mock your inability to take this 35th birthday trip).  Not advice that was easily accepted, but what must be must be.  Sleepless and distracted nights.  This was to be the trip to consider one potential future, a sailor's life off the grid in the Caribbean for a time.  Seems it will get the mind flowing in such directions anyway, if for all the wrong reasons.  But put simply, you got greedy with the dates and you got burned.  Now just to deal with the aftermath, and wait to see what Ms. A wants to do about it.  Aye me, it is frustrating, but life goes on.

There are worse problems.  But seeing familiar foes in the pedway does nothing to encourage an extended Halifax stay.  Even as the Southern Cross made its first journey of the 2014 season thanks to the co-captain's impressive boating skills.  And even as the conversation over a haircut today puts things in stark relief - the amount of vacation time you do get to take and so on.  It is not the most difficult of lives, but as ever the changing of your ways and the desire to cut loose from bullshit grows over time until the breaking point draws closer.  

Always, you were of the view that if you were not happy and you had the means to change it, then what is stopping you.  You had the whole of the world in front of you in Vietnam and Cambodia to consider, and back you came crawling to this very same desk.  The almost two years since have been rewarding in various ways.  Two solid sailing seasons aboard the lovely SC, and trips to Rio/BA, Old Trafford, Bahamas, Jamaica (x2), India, Russia, Tanzania, and soon the World Cup.  Further adventures in the ridiculous, and most importantly, access to the funds by which to do it. 

So think some more this summer.  I know I do not want to remain at the beck and call of utility whims.  I know I do not want to wait for future coarse travel to begin.  The clock ticks on.  Is Arsenal leading Newcastle?  Time to check in on that score.  I wonder where you might be when the business end of the Champions League rolls around next year...  We shall see.

In the interim, we walk sideways, as Nick does due to his neck pain, in waiting to learn of the plans for the rack of lamb...