Can anyone tell me why 'housework' when living on a boat is actually a relaxing, pleasant way to pass the time (you know, tidying up, dishes, washing the decks), but at home it is one of my most loathed activities, and hence my house right now looks like.... well, you don't want to know!
I even had good intentions today ...I dropped my little boy off at school and thought to myself, 'Right, that's a whole six hours that I can spend cleaning, organising, rearranging - my house is going to be sooooo clean and tidy!'
And yet here I am...an hour later, nothing done! I know... five hours is still plenty of time for me to have an impact on this hovel, and yet ...my urge to clean has dissipated somewhat!
I blame all of you... well, the few of you that have been kind enough recently to leave comments. :-) You've distracted me with your thoughts and blogs...and amazing photos Jack and Jude! (If you want to know what I'm talking about, check out www.jackandjude.com .I've downloaded some of their pics from their screensaver section and now I'm really distracted!)
I think there's only one solution that's practical - I'll have to live on a boat full time. Now if I can just convince hubby and seven year old .... wish me luck!
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Why I love sailing ...
I haven't been able to go sailing for a while...life keeps getting in the way. I'm missing it desperately, which gave me cause to wonder what it is about sailing that I love so much ...
In a nutshell, it's the peace. Not just the stillness that nature provides, but the mental peace that comes from being completely absorbed in the moment, with no room in my mind for anything else. Whether I'm watching the sails and considering my next 'tweak', listening to the rush of water under the hull, or scrabbling - crablike - across the cabin roof to untangle a jib sheet, I am always fully in the present and focused on the task at hand.
Mental health experts suggest we only use around 10% of our brain in conscious thinking, but even that's enough to get us into trouble apparently! Hence the massive industry that's grown up around positive thinking and other cognitive therapies; the most recent incarnation being 'mindfulness', where participants are taught a range of techniques to keep them focused on the present moment, rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the future.
It makes sense. Our cave dwelling ancestors had to live 'in the moment' or risk being eaten by a mammoth, clubbed on the head by an unfriendly (or possibly over-friendly!) neighbor, or starving to death.
Our modern, streamlined existence has given us more time to worry about the little things, to our mental detriment. So, if you're in need of some cerebral relief, pick up a book on mindfulness, book a session with a cognitive therapist (they don't like to be called shrinks) or ... go for sail!
And please ...take me with you!
In a nutshell, it's the peace. Not just the stillness that nature provides, but the mental peace that comes from being completely absorbed in the moment, with no room in my mind for anything else. Whether I'm watching the sails and considering my next 'tweak', listening to the rush of water under the hull, or scrabbling - crablike - across the cabin roof to untangle a jib sheet, I am always fully in the present and focused on the task at hand.
Mental health experts suggest we only use around 10% of our brain in conscious thinking, but even that's enough to get us into trouble apparently! Hence the massive industry that's grown up around positive thinking and other cognitive therapies; the most recent incarnation being 'mindfulness', where participants are taught a range of techniques to keep them focused on the present moment, rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the future.
It makes sense. Our cave dwelling ancestors had to live 'in the moment' or risk being eaten by a mammoth, clubbed on the head by an unfriendly (or possibly over-friendly!) neighbor, or starving to death.
Our modern, streamlined existence has given us more time to worry about the little things, to our mental detriment. So, if you're in need of some cerebral relief, pick up a book on mindfulness, book a session with a cognitive therapist (they don't like to be called shrinks) or ... go for sail!
And please ...take me with you!
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