For the past few days, Matt has been making noises about getting going again. He says that if we don’t head out soon, we’re going to be rushing again. I’m just not ready yet, I think. “I still don’t really feel rested,” I say. He says he doesn’t either. Rather than deciding on a day to leave, we decide to get ready and then just see. We rent a car for the day and do the usual (propane, laundry, provisions, errands). Although ridiculously expensive, we find a great store that has high-quality food. It ends up being a better place to provision than
Puerto Rico. When getting ready to go, our dynamic is that we both get on edge and, just when we need to be pulling together as a team, we turn on each other. I make a vow to go through the day gracefully and be kind to all who cross my path (particularly family members). Despite my attempts, I fall short. It’s like what Matt related one day in mid-February. He said, “I woke up calm and peaceful this morning. My goal was ‘unconditional love’ all day.” “How did you do?” I ask. “I lasted 7 minutes,” he replies. We both laugh. Once we are aware of the hidden anxiety about setting off again, we settle down and relax. For days it was Not ready, not ready, not ready. Now, all of a sudden, I’m ready.
We had our mail shipped from our FL mailing address and it finally arrived here yesterday. We were thrilled to get a few cards and notes from family. Among the items was a package for Joshua from an OH address I didn’t recognize. It turned out to be from a Cleveland person we randomly met on the beach on Norman Island, BVI. The boys were building fairy houses and she stopped to talk with them. There was a debate about whether fairies or gnomes are bigger
in size (Joshua claims fairies are smaller). Glenna promised to send a book on gnomes to him. And she actually sent it. He was thrilled. The boys sat in a hammock for hours as Malachi read Joshua the book. I love it when people do small kindnesses like that. It reminded me of when we were in the Red Hook marina on St. Thomas. We were working on the engine and Matt tightened a bolt too much and it just fell apart. We had a ton
of stuff to do and breaking that part could have meant days and expense finding the part and having it shipped in. There was a guy on the dock, Kevin, who does work on boats and is booked weeks in advance. Matt happened to run into him and mentioned what had happened. This man actually took the time to go to his shop and machine a new bolt for us, at no charge. It sounds crazy but that small act of kindness brought tears to
my eyes when Matt told me. Gloria Vanderbilt once said, “Be kind, because everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.” You just never know what something you do will mean to someone.
It looks like we will leave tomorrow. Who knows what wi-fi will be like in the Bahamas. Stay tuned!