Keeping the dream alive. That’s what counts and even when reality smacks you in the face, you have to keep on keeping on. The past ten months have been more than a little exciting and while necessary safety checkpoints are a must, sometimes you just need to do what the South Africans do and “fok maar voort” - loosely translated as forge ahead. It is only when things have settled down and you stop operating on instinct that you can take a moment to breathe and allow yourself some emotional reflection.
"Look north and go forth"
Life on board GypsyDjango has in a way been a wonderful holiday - yes I know that while I have been sailing Kevin has been a digital nomad working - yet it has still felt more holiday and less daily life. Yesterday however was a big wake up as we started to unpack our stored goods, these familiar items last seen in January when they went into the container for shipping and were forgotten about. The holiday is over, reality is here and we now need to prepare for winter living on a yacht! I shed more than one tear with the realization that this is permanent (as permanent as anything can be nowadays) and I won’t be returning home to the friends and family I left behind and haven’t been able to see.
We have survived, comfortably, with so little for so long I now just don’t know what to do with all this stuff, and why did I think I would need it? Minimalism; it’s a difficult enough word to spell let alone understand. I thought I was doing well back in South Africa selling my much prized corporate wardrobe and shedding excess indiscriminately. I really was strict on what went into the container but there is nothing like living for five months with one suitcase between two people to reset your normal.
I might have lost a bit of discipline at the end though, I packed a scale (or rather I guess I snuck it in when Kevin wasn’t watching)! We had quite a fright loading our never ending boxes into the hire van - fright and a lot of dread. Where were we supposed to put all this stuff on our yacht?
So over the next few days I will be reducing once again, and donating to the sailing community, as I adjust to my new version of excess. This time it’s with a lighter heart because I have learned what little is necessary to survive. I have continued running on my wonderful Saucony Peregrines that have lived way past their promised 800k's.
I am now focusing on what is important to me, not material goods but my relationships with you - my soul food that I miss so much.
We have had a fantastic journey so far and as a wonderful friend pointed out to me the other day; “Every experience you have had has taught you more about yourself than you ever could imagine. You need time to reflect now and understand the balance for the years ahead. You swallowed your pride and opened your soul... keep up that spirit.”
I love that wording and all the support we have received from everyone. For those that feel a little deserted by me, I am sorry that my journey took me away but my heart will always carry you close.
So what now? We are living in a quaint marina just outside of Barcelona city and it can only be easier on GypsyDjango than what it was in our 30 square metre apartment with its daily 60 minutes of sunshine allocation. Here we have open space, light a plenty and a like-minded live-aboard community to practice our Spanish on. We are just over an hour from France and the Pyrenees and I feel like it’s time to get reacquainted with my bicycle and go exploring.
Enough emotion; I need to go sort that scale out as I never want to climb on one again!
Comments