Enough already!

OK all you doom and gloom seekers. Sorry to disappoint but I am going to write something different this time.
So today I was playing with my kids. At first my daughter wanted to play house and she starts it off with a tea party. Sounds normal enough, right? Fist thing she says is that the "tea" is really a potion to turn her into a dragon. To really spice it up the "tea" she gives me is supposed to make me so I can't move. While we are getting ready to partake of said repast, her brother comes down and joins the game by saying he is making a potion as well. His potion is supposed to make me "stinky". Sister ups the ante though by changing her potion to one that changes her to a monster that her brother then has to help cure by administering another potion to correct her problem. My kids are great at taking a innocent play activity like the traditional tea party and turning it into a roller coaster ride of thrills and horrible monsters that are really nice but just want to help out.

ksl.com - LIFEadvice: The light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off until further notice

ksl.com - LIFEadvice: The light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off until further notice

Alternate Realities

Feeling anguish for pains not inflicted. Sorrow for actions that never were. Fear for roads not yet taken. Trepidation of futures unforeseen. Trying to focus on smiles of now. Hold tight to the laughter of today. Collect the sparkle in the eye of my daughter, the mirth of my son's grin. Savour the minutes surrounded in love and build a shield with warm memories to block out the cold void and it's fathomless pains. Restoring my reserve of happiness through the joys of simply playing with my innocent angels. Looking for the peace of heart, that far greener haven that I somehow wandered away from to find myself wandering in a vast gloomy wilderness. Catching glimpses of that place, shining through the cracks between leaves and peeking out through the veiling brambles.

When you've lost a rudder chain....

Finding yourself lost at sea with a broken rudder chain is a bad thing. Finding yourself in a doldrums, where you can fill your sails with more wind than Mother Nature is sharing is bad. Now, imagine if you will, being stuck in a doldrums so you amble over to the ships library to find something to read. As your gaze falls upon the shelf you find yourself staring at the solitary book on the shelf. Opening it's pages you start to read of a sailing adventure, one with high hopes of grand challenges and fabulous glories to be had. Falling deeper into the reading you find the story takes a turn when the rudder chain breaks and the ship becomes stranded in the open waters circling until all souls aboar are lost to starvation and insanity. Drifting alone on the bright open blue waters, waiting for the winds to once again spring into life and grant you movement again you think to yourself, "glad that couldn't happen to me". The niggling doubt however fills your mind until you surrender and head below, just to be sure "once and for all". Imagine your sudden seizure of panic and horror when you find your rudder chain has broken as well.

Sometimes, trying to learn about a disaster in order to prepare for it is the wrong thing to do. Sometimes, ignorance really is bliss.

Self inflicted wounds...

When early sailors put out to sea, they had to remain close to familiar shores in order to navigate great distances. Later the compass was added to ships to aid in navigation. Now when it was night they could rely on the stars to aid them in charting their course. When the celestial guides were obscured by clouds, they could fall back to the compass. Even when those heavenly bodies shown down, they would also take bearing checks on the compass. The most dangerous time was in the dark of night, amidst the churning of the tempest. During these times they could find themselves lost for lack of a guide. Those who surrendered to the sea were often soon to find an eternal port of call in her cold embrace. Those who fought to live did so on faith. They held faith that those glimpses of the compass gave true readings. Each would cling to his duty, trusting his shipmates would perform theirs and that through the storm, the ship would survive to take them back to port. They held faith that their ship, battered though she may be, would get them through the storm.

Life at sea, no matter the century, is always full of challenges. The sea is a cruel mistress who can steal the strength of your beloved vessel faster than you believe. There are daily things that need attention to prevent this from happening. When some things get over looked or ignored, they can cut the heart out of your ship and leave you broken and torn on the shoals. The great thing about most vessels is that if the rot and damage can be found in time, it can be mended and the ship restored to full health. It might take time and attention and lots of effort but it can be done. Sadly, sometimes a ship has been neglected for too long, the damage has become to severe to be rescued. In these cases, you can only hope that the damage is found in time to allow you to safely disembark the ship and guide her to a final resting place with as much dignity and honor as possible. The time to reap the neglect will, often as not, come during a crisis. When the crew are counting on the ship holding together, things which have been weakened will fail. If the fates side with the crew or Divine intervention smiles down upon them, the damage will not be so extensive that they cannot save the ship. If their time is up then a critical failure will occur that will doom the entire crew allowing none to survive.

To me, this seems to mirror life a lot. What do you think?