(One of my favorite quotes of all time...)
"There are three perfect shapes in the world … the hull of a boat, a violin, and a woman's body." —Charis Wilson quoting Varda
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| Art Model, Dana © 2007 Terrell Neasley |
"Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made."
- Robert N. Rose
I'm gonna double up here for a bit and catch you up on a couple of points. Well, maybe actually THREE!
My good friend John Kompare, another accomplished photog, sent me an email that has me wondering about my some of my future priorities. You can catch John's blog at
this link. He forwarded me a newsletter to a sailing club offering to train you up on
basic sailing and cruising at a really good deal. I want so badly to take advantage. I'm sure I mentioned this before, but maybe I didn't. At some point in 2014, I want my travels to hit the water. I want to be on my own boat sailing the South Pacific starting from Chile, to Easter Island and then heading out West. I still have to learn to sail and then I need to get a good boat. Trying to balance that with some of my land-loving travel plans may be problematic on my time table. I am heading back to Central America this year and plan to tour South America next year along with a short stint in Israel. All that doesn't leave a lot of time nor money for sailing. So I have to better organize my thoughts and priorities.
"A lot of people ask me if I were shipwrecked, and could only have one book, what would it be? I always say 'How to Build a Boat' "
- Stephen Wright
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| Art Model, Dana © 2007 Terrell Neasley |
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This also ties in with my second topic. Two nights ago, I got to hang out at the Hard Rock with some really good friends. I won't even get started on the party we had the week before. I was a mess. This week however was a bit more civilized and all I had was coke. But my bud Pierre-Luc is an aerialist here in Vegas with one of the Cirque shows. He and I were talking about travel and he mentioned that he's traveled world-wide quite often over the last few years, taking extensive trips in Europe and Southeast Asia at least 7 times. He's a young man. I asked him why he's made traveling so important in his life. What was his answer? Just that...LIFE! This is a man who spends exhilarating hours in the air performing up to 5 or 6 nights a week, doing two shows a night. His skill has to be impeccable. His timing must be absolutely perfect and his rigging has to be without even the slightest defect. A simple slip, to be off in his timing, or faulty rigging can prove disastrous in his profession.
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| Art Model, Anonymous © 2007 Terrell Neasley |
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"Bad cooking is responsible for more trouble at sea than all other things put together."
- Thomas Fleming Day
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| Art Model, Anonymous © 2007 Terrell Neasley
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But this is exactly what happened just a few years ago around the time we were first introduced. Faulty rigging resulted in a 30 foot fall onto his head. This is why he travels. He has since healed and is back in the air. And now he takes some time to experience the world. Keep in mind we're not talking about an accountant or marketing executive. We are speaking to a man who's already living life on the edge and he's talking about experiencing life. How many of the rest of us live life making future promises? How many of us are saving up for that life experience that we never make time for beyond a trip to Disneyland? Ever notice how that savings account keeps getting tapped into because "something else came up"? Something will always come up. Sometimes it might take a significant emotional experience to give us that bump we need to get out of our normal routines and do the stuff we dream of doing. I'm not saying you need to build a bucket list. I'm just saying I wish more of us were actually doing the things that make us happy and not putting off these things til the kids leave the house, or until you get that next promotion. There is a big difference between living life and just being alive. To truly live is more than simply surviving. I'm not saying travel is YOUR answer. You may hate traveling, but there IS something you love to do which is that "thing" that you've always talked and dreamed about. Find a way. Make your path. Do this. Now.
I'll save my third thing for later.
You are so right, T. All we have in this life is our TIME, and it is not to be wasted. It is to be filled with what we love while we have both passion and time.
ReplyDeleteI can't tell you how much I am enjoying life since I left MM and deviantART. Sometimes we squander our time online and do not live in real time. I'm done with that. Your blog is one of my few indulgences.
Thank you for the wisdom.
BTW, Iksodas has been posting about ships/boats on his FB page. I still visit some of those who remain from the community that flourished in bloggie world five years ago! And many of the old friends are forever friends. One of them is you.
Rightly so, UL. Over the years this has been a mutual admiration between us. You've been an excellent mentor to me and I've valued your advice and our talks. You're definitely a contributor to my blog in your comments and encouragement, as well as for being the consummate example of what an exemplary and prolific writer should be. So thanks YOU.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you're still blogging. Shall I say keep on bloggin'? xxoo
ReplyDeleteHa! You don't have to say anything at this point. You've already set me on a roll. I'm actually thinking of setting up another blog for my travel work. I bought the domain name already.
ReplyDeleteCarpe diem, my friend. I am starting down a similar path. Why waste life being alive when living it is so much better?? I doubt many people say on their death beds that they wish they spent more time in the office.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I could have said it any better than that!
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