Open Water
“You’re afraid of the water,” they said when Morgan bought the little sailboat, “why would you buy a boat?” They laughed when she said, “Just in case.”
It was true that Morgan feared the water, and so it was no surprise to anyone – Morgan included – that year after year the little boat stayed tied to its moorings in the marina, more of a floating apartment than anything else. Despite her fears the sea called to her, but Morgan liked the certainty of dry land and floating safely here in the marina was as close as she would ever get to sailing off into the sunset.
One particularly stormy season when the wind threw Morgan and her little boat sharply against the piers one too many times, she realized the marina felt just as dangerous as the open water. It was time; Morgan cast off her lines and pointed the little boat toward the horizon and the open sea.
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19 Comments
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Casting off away from the congested marina is a legitimate strategy in a storm. Could save the boat. I’m thinking this wasn’t about the vessel so much as its captain though. Nicely done.
Yes, very much about its captain. Thanks, D.!
Casting off and heading toward the horizon- I envy her.
You made this very real.
Thanks, Paul!
Comes a day when playing it safe is not safe any more.
Very true.
(most of us) prefer both the convenience and the forgiving nature of life in the marina. The horizon, from the perspective of one picking it as a destination, has neither shape nor form, character or personality. It’s surely the simplest (and most serious) acts of faith to set out for it.
I kind of like that it has no true definition as a destination. That leaves it always open to interpretation, always a viable possibility for something new. Not knowing and heading out anyway is surely, as you said, an act of faith.
This is a great metaphor for the choices we have in life. Sometimes it takes a “storm” to set us forward. I’m glad Morgan chose the path to overcoming her fear instead of retreating. Yay!
I wonder if she was ever seen again. I like an open end!
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A good question! Perhaps not here, but who knows where her little boat will take her?
She was brave in the end . We all have struggles in life . I love the metaphor , intentional or not.
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Thank you! That makes me happy. 🙂
The leap of faith, and as Val said, often it takes a storm to get us to take that step. Horizons…they are frightening, but they beckon so…
You’re so right, Deborah. Sometimes it does take a storm.
Beautifully written—-you could make quite a story out of this.
Thanks, Marcia. Who knows?
Casting off into the storm? Hmmm, I think I did that this year, still waiting to see where I land.
Yeah, me too. Three years later. I like the journey (most days).