A story of resilience, determination & inspiration
This morning I’m sitting onboard Day Dream writing to you and can hear the lovely English gentleman who lives on his boat near us having a conversation with two occupational therapists from the local hospital.
He is 86.
The therapists are checking his ability to climb aboard his boat after he’s just had an operation to fix a pinched nerve in his neck. He’s an incredible man. Clever. Adventurous. Stubborn. Experienced everything from WWII, to rally car driving, to sailing the notorious Bass Strait multiple times. Those waters used to be his local cruising ground – and interestingly he swears it was easier to sail there than the New South Wales coast.
I like spending time with him.
He showed me how to use Dragon Dictate software the other week. Demonstrating to a gen Y how to use software to dictate an email right onto his computer. When I climbed aboard his boat and sat in the saloon with him, I saw a photograph printed on canvas, covering the TV.
“Did you take that?” I asked, pointing to the picture of four dolphins riding inside a breaking wave.
“Yes, I did. I like photography. When I get this nerve fixed, I’d like to do some more,” he said.
His accent is similar to my beloved late Grandpa’s, from just outside London.
He’s as sharp as a tack. Witty. Often with a lilt in his voice that lets you know he is aware of the absurdity, or hilarity, or irony of life.
Two years ago, his boat sank. Right here in the marina. He’d been preparing to go north to the Great Barrier Reef, when a large storm hit Coffs Harbour and destroyed much of the marina. His boat was tied to the pontoon and sunk when the concrete walkway came off the pylons.
What did he do? At 84 years of age? He bought another boat. But this one needed work, so he’s spent close to two years fixing it up. Unfortunately, it looks like he won’t make it to the Great Barrier Reef.
“Ah, I think it’s too late for that, now,” he said.
But everyone in the marina is hoping he will be well enough to come and live back onboard his boat, and perhaps a few locals will be able to take him out for a sail. His new boat was just about ready to leave the dock when his pinched nerve hit.
I deeply hope he is well enough to come back.
Last week I hosted my very first ‘Office Hours Live Q&A’ with members of my online programs.
Afterwards, a lovely lady wrote me a private message asking how I felt leaving my home and studio, selling up everything and buying a boat. She said she was thinking of selling everything and setting off to see the country in a van. A health scare left her feeling there was more to life than just being stuck in a house and being stagnant.
This theme of valuing experiences over possessions, spending time with loved ones and being conscious of how we spend our days has come up again and again in my world of late.
In fact, I’ve hunted it down in a few cases. I’m always curious to know how we can get to the end of our lives and not regret the decisions we’ve made.
Bronnie Ware, of course, is a wonderful resource for this topic in her tender and insightful book “The Top 5 Regrets of the Dying“. This week I also read “Die Empty: Unleash Your Best Work Every Day” by Todd Henry.
It was a powerful, moving book about being brave enough to focus on your most important work, despite the noise of the world. As he says,
“Embrace the importance of now, and refuse to allow the lull of comfort, fear, familiarity, and ego to prevent you from taking action on your ambitions…The cost of inaction is vast. Don’t go to your grave with your best work inside of you. Choose to die empty.”
I know for me, a huge part of what I hope to feel proud of at the end of my life, is knowing I have contributed to others. That I’ve shared from my heart. I’ve been brave enough to have created, written, painted and shared the lessons I’ve learned with others along the way.
Next week I plan to launch Flourish with Painting & Creativity LIVE 2018, my signature program to help you express your creativity, learn to paint and flourish in your creative life.
We will be cultivating playfulness and curiosity, finding your voice, being gentle with your fears, and boldly following your heart’s desires.
As for me, I’m ever so glad we sold everything and bought the boat. Cruising this magnificent coast has been a wonderful, expansive, soul-nourishing experience. And I can see us doing it for months – or possibly years – to come.
My question for you this week is, what is tugging at your heart strings lately?
What would you like to explore, cultivate or express? Perhaps you could pull out your journal and open a quiet dialogue with yourself, where you can listen to the whispers of your heart as you write whatever comes to mind. Don’t sensor yourself, write freely. It’s the best way I know of tuning within and connecting to my heart in a tangible form.
I’m so grateful for you. Wishing you a wonderful, creative week.
Be kind to yourself.
~ Nicola