No time like the present!


Some friends of mine at the apartment building that we currently live in were joking around the other night calling me the "welcoming committee". Seems I get to know people or at least say hello even quicker than Louisiana natives around here and I was getting hassled for it. When I got back home I got to thinking about what makes me just not waist anytime in saying 'hello'??

Well, having spent 9 of 22 years of marriage on a sailboat, doing quite a bit of long distance traveling I have learned that friendships have to be made on the "fly". You see when you are out there on the water, and you anchor for the night, you might have 1 or two other boats come into the anchorage too. Being friendly and free-spirited as sailors are, we usually dingy over and say hello. We are usually invited aboard and then one boat or the other makes dinner and we have a great time. We might, if we are lucky, stay in the anchorage one more day and get to know them better and then we are off onto our next destination. Nevertheless, with addresses exchanged, the Christmas cards come in the mail for the rest of forever and we always love to catch up on that couple/family's latest travels! We even crossed paths with a boat in the Intracoastal Waterway in Ft. Lauderdale 2 years ago that we had not seen in 10 years...but had received Christmas cards from.

One of the most unexpected and nicest things that has ever happened to my husband and I happened on our first sailing voyage and I think of it often. After a very long passage down the Pacific coast of Mexico we anchored in Acapulco. It was almost dark and the last thing I wanted to do was to make dinner! Right after that thought, I heard a "knock" on our hull. Some "neighbors" in the anchorage came over to invite us for dinner. We had the most wonderful spaghetti dinner with "friends" we had never met. 1993 was the year!

We have become such a busy, private society these days that we have to schedule months in advance just to have lunch with a friend. We don't even call on that wonderful invention, the telephone. We text so that we can "reply" in our own time.


My husband swears I use up my "daily quota" of allowed words everyday. What can I say, I love to chat and get to know people...especially the elderly. There are just so many wonderful experiences out there to be heard and learned from. We are all so unique.


So, take time to watch the sunset once in a while and REALLY get to know your neighbor! Isn't that what loving your neighbor is all about?
Oh, I hope you enjoyed the pictures of the Bahamas! We hope to get back there soon.

Comments

Harmony said…
Your pictures are beautiful. I am so jealous! We can't wait until we can finally take a proper vacation to some exotic relaxing locale!
October 15, 2008 at 10:50 PM
Smooth Sailing said…
Thanks Harmony...Let's all go together!
October 15, 2008 at 11:09 PM
Scarlet said…
These photos of the water are absolutely gorgeous! I need to get out of Florida!! :)

I love how you meet people on the fly. I'm that way, too. Life is short and it's all about relationships and sharing our hearts and good times with others.

Great post, Bin!
October 16, 2008 at 7:53 AM
Marla said…
Your photos are beautiful and what a great looking family you have. I have never been sailing and have never seen the ocean. I have done canoeing down some rivers. What do you expect when you never get out of Nebraska!
October 16, 2008 at 6:54 PM
Smooth Sailing said…
Oh Marla,

It's time for you to see the ocean. I can tell you how to do it for cheap! There is nothing like looking out into the water knowing that there really is no end. Take your grandson! I'm from UTAH!
October 16, 2008 at 8:09 PM
Lucy Stern said…
I wondered where those pictures were taken. The water just didn't look like Louisiana water.....I know of the lure to live on the coast but those pesky hurricanes can cause so much damage. My cousin and his wife lived on Crystal Beach in Galveston and after IKE, they no longer have a house or their charter boat business. They wonder where their boat is, probably in a wood pile across the bay.

I think I would prefer to live up in the mountains. Friends can be made everywhere, some people just have a knack for it.
October 17, 2008 at 10:33 PM
Russell and Joanne said…
We will always remember that day when you came to our boat and invited us to go swimming with you! You're a very unique person and you should never stop being just the way you are!
October 20, 2008 at 6:00 PM
Janell said…
You are so RIGHT that we've become too busy and private. One of the things I like about my job (I'm a cashier in a large grocery store) is that I come into contact and exchange conversations with about 140 people every day, five days a week. The stories are endless. Marla even comes through once in a while!
October 28, 2008 at 1:46 PM
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