Unexpected Turns and the Clarity of Dreams

“I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” 

― Henry David Thoreau, Walden: Or, Life in the Woods

We are dreamers, no doubt. We do not sit by as the world turns around us, but we strive to take action when a dream has been set in our sights. 

It is because of this we found ourselves moving out of San Francisco and onto a sailboat. We wanted to embrace a dream and a goal of sailing away into the sunset. We thought the freedom of the seas was exactly what we wanted and so we worked and saved and worked and saved until this dream was reality.

The funny thing about dreams is that, sometimes, once they become reality you realize that they are not actually for you. We have found through the departure from our normal day to day lives that a life under the sail and away from it all is not the life that brings us satisfaction.

Being away has brought us incredible clarity that I am not sure could have been brought to light any other way. We have both learned a great deal about what our hearts truly desire and none of these things require a sailboat.

This adventure has been unbelievably rewarding, even if shorter than we thought is would be. We now see that the freedoms we have been searching for all along were not from a place or a civilization, but from our own self-imposed limitations. Our own fears. 

This journey has, for me, brought a confidence that I can indeed live by my pen as it is my heart's true desire. The fears of judgement and failure that I have struggled with my entire life now seem trivial. If I can do this thing that required so much sacrifice and bravery to complete, what is there left to terrify me in paper and ink?

Keegan has also grasped a knowledge of his calling that he has long tried to ignore. His heart and his talents are in the teaching of music to children and their is nothing mightier than doing the work of your heart.

We are both quite happy to be returning to land and starting out on another course in our lives. Again, it will be challenging. Starting over is never an easy task, but we have a renewed life in us that gives my heart a reassurance. 

I long to see my friends whom I have missed dearly over the past few months. I long to return to San Francisco and see the Golden Gate. I miss the fog rushing down the hillside with a life all of its own and the sweet smells of eucalyptus as you ride thru Golden Gate park. I didn't know this city had such a hold on my heart until we were parted.

So, to all you who have been following this great adventure and hoping for many years of pictures and posts I am sorry to tell you that our journey is coming to an end here in San Diego. You see, we have other lives to live and those lives must be attended.

Sincerely,
Amanda and Keegan