Sunday, January 22, 2012

Sail Seaming!



Back in 1998 I was exploding with energy, shoving my sailmaking needle through not only canvas, but 1/2 inch rope, to build the sails for our magnificent vessel! Seventy days later, I stood at the fore part of the ship, on night watch, everyone else asleep, guiding the vessel up the Pacific coast of Colombia, almost incapacitated by the incredible situation. Those experiences are a deep reservoir, a well, from which I continue to draw, daily.

So, today, am I still exploding with the same energy? Yes! When I wake in the morning, I can hardly wait to get to the office, or the library, to fill in some piece of the puzzle. I'm alone, but electrified--most days--by the the idea of flying my ship to 50,000 feet, and seeing things that few have ever seen, and that nobody has ever written a word about.

Keeping that energy and exuberance going can be hard when there is no-one around who really cares about any of it, but that is, I suppose, the price of an interest in things that are of no use to most people.

2 comments:

Flynn Renard said...

Piffle, I was bragging about you today. Your friends and students admire you greatly, you exceed human expectations every day... and we all notice.

Cameron McPherson Smith said...

Thanks, Archaeological Technician Renard!