Landfalls

Today, I write from the bridge of a boat somewhere off the coast of Mexico. As we approach the U.S. border and the skyline of San Diego looms on the horizon, a surge of excitement begins to well up from within. San Diego holds no particular interest for me, but I adore almost any landfall. Now I’m a sailor so ocean ports instill a certain fascination in me, yet climbing out of an airplane, a bus, a train, or even a car warms my heart as well. I find myself enamored by even the most modest of adventures. Actually, all of life is an adventure and learning to relish the little passages along the way, with their assorted landfalls, can help to make our journeys all the more interesting. Even if you think you’re headed nowhere right now, I can assure you that it’s still somewhere. Every trip, however seemingly insignificant, can have purpose and value. Sometimes it doesn’t even matter what direction you’re traveling. Often the destinations can be less important than how you get there, who you’re with, what you think about en route or who you help along the way. My hope for you is that you may discover some interesting places to go and enjoy their requisite landfalls. However, even if you are merely commuting to work, it can have value. The simplest life can still be lived richly if it is imbued with meaning through your own personal view of it. When we are interested, life is interesting. As I conclude this writing,
my bows are now pointed out to sea once again. Ahead of me, the horizon is empty, devoid of land, other boats, and the like. On this clear winter day, with nothing but endless blue stretching out for dozens of miles, I feel as if the possibilities are endless … because they are. Before dark, however, we’ll be snug at harbor with another happy landfall under our belts. For me, that will be a bittersweet moment for this current voyage shall have come to an end. Yet, for the moment, my heart and mind are left to wander out across the broad expanse of the Pacific Ocean where I can imagine countless undiscovered landfalls which beckon to me from distant shores. In the mean time: good company, good sailing and good bye.

Landfalls
Perhaps the sweetest part of the journey
Is the landfall, once it=s reached
Be it airport, depot or the sand
>Neath a skiff, once it has beached
With the toils of the journey done
And adventure ahead and at hand
Landfalls bring to fruition
All the wonder of what was planned
The desert, the mountains, the shoreline
Whatever your paradise be
A landfall is the first kiss
Once the journey is history
I love the planning and plotting
And the adventure along the way
Oh, but the sweetest part of it all
Is stepping onto the quay
By Frank Carpenter