Top Ten Things this Year has Taught Me

This past year has been overflowing with life lessons. With my 72nd birthday on the horizon this week, I am grateful for all of it.

Here is a summary of my NOTES to SELF:
1. Design your work to fit the life you want. I love my business! It inspires and sustains me. It's my creative outlet. For more than 40 years, I have let it shape my life— through years of growth and struggle, I emerged a fuller person. But this year I made a few changes to allow for more freedom. I am away, living on the water while my home office continues to hum— thanks to two young women who can handle it all, with me on the other end of a wifi signal. I have tried for so long manage alone after disengaging from corporate entanglement and partnership fails… I’ve gratefully accepted help along the way, but never have I let go quite like this. Thank you, Kelly and Jessie for holding down the fort so gracefully! I couldn't do this without you.
2. Set the intention, do the work and most of all, be patient. We have been planning this boat voyage for more than a year. Things didn't always go smoothly as we prepared. Plus, I worried if I was up to the mission. Would I be able to manage the docking lines, anchor windlass, steering a vessel this size? I had faith in Mark, but doubted myself. Yet somehow I knew we were headed for an adventure that would re-ignite our lives. I can see now this is the perfect "what's next" for us, even if at times, the path seems insurmountable. We both had faith, so we both kept at it. And here we are.
3. Get Closer to Nature. Everything else pales in comparison. I realize humans are toxically over-served with stimulation, they rarely have access to the healing connection to the restorative power of wide vistas in hues of aqua and blue. By some divine magic, this expansive view is designed to heal. With all the chaos, the noise and glut of news that is so deeply upsetting — the friction, uncertainty and opinions that clash— this beautiful, subtle dividing line of the horizon is all the division I need. It takes me exactly to the heart of things, where I am connected to simplicity, divinity and peace.
4. Plan without planning. Humans desperately need unscripted time. We started out thinking we would need to map out our entire trip or we weren't doing it right. The reality is, each day is different, dependent on the weather, our moods, the mercurial demands of our boat. When you have your home with you, it feels a lot less urgent to get anywhere at any particular time. We create a rough sketch and fill in the details and the color as we go along. Just like making art. You begin the process and it speaks to you. Leads you to the next brushstroke, or in this case, the next anchorage or dock.
5. Less is Definitely More. There is not a lot of space for anything extraneous on a boat. We are well equipped with the necessities: all kinds of tools, art supplies, cases of wine, beautiful cloth napkins and tablecloths, candles and pillows and  elegant rechargeable table lamps. There are bags of rice, plenty of olive oil and capers, pasta and sauces and cans of coconut milk. We can get by for a week or so with our provisions if that becomes necessary. But the other added gift is this: with less stuff you appreciate what you have infinitely more.
6. It's Never Too Late to Try Something New. In fact, we decided if we don't do it now, who knows if we ever will (or can.) It has taken a little leap of faith, a trusting heart and some ballsy self-confidence to go where I've never gone before. I generally try to only do things I'm already good at. Not a fan of failure. Yet, I know in my bones that success is dependent on the lessons you learn from taking risks, even when they take you to unexpected places.
7. Don't Think You Can Take a break from Yoga. Almost 8 weeks on the water, confined to a boat, especially during occasional tumultuous days, has definitely impacted my yoga. And my body is not happy. Slowly I'm working up to the regular practice I had before leaving; it requires calm and consistency. I can't force it. There are tight muscles that I haven't felt in years— even my neck and shoulders are speaking to me (unkindly) and I thought we'd resolved that dispute years ago, when I left office life and dedicated myself to my practice. At this age, yoga is the daily tune-up I need to grease my wheels.
8. There is a Place Beyond Words. I have a dear friend who is dying. I visited her in Hospice the other day. She is mostly non-verbal but when she saw me a flood of emotions passed over her face. Surprise. Delight. Love. Despair. For a while I sat quietly next to her, holding her hand. Closing my eyes, I felt myself enter a meditative state and it was there that I felt closest to her. Our auras mingled in the golden glow of her sunlit room. I sat silently, calming inhaling and exhaling while she struggled to breathe. I felt sad but connected. These worldly transitions, however tragic, are incredibly powerful.
9. It's All About People. From Southwest Florida to Cape Ann, Massachusets we have made so many new friends and have re-connected with old ones. My life is rich and multi-dimensional because of the places and people I've encountered. Family, even when spread far and wide, is my foundation, my heart--I need nothing more than just to spend time, be present. Also the communities we have patched together in all the places we've been--they are the fabric that wraps us in love and support. I know I am lucky to have such a wide net, catching good wishes from all directions. Really feeling grateful for that today.
10. Change is good. My restless nature has taken to this travel journey very well. I am tasting all the flavors, enjoying the changes of scenery. Now I just want to see more places. More views from the water, the wildlife, the sound of birds, the angle of the sun. Life around us is literally always changing and I welcome the flow.