Hello
my Friend!
I've been in Gold Coast, Australia for a few months in a home
exchange, rejuvenating after 4 solid months of boat work. I slept
for the first 4 days here. I didn't realize how hard I was working
and how exhausted I was. Leigh was here with me for a few weeks
then went back to Peru. We'll rejoin at the boat in St. Mary's, Georgia
shortly. We hope to be afloat in about six weeks, sailing north towards
the Chesapeake and beyond.
Of
course we explored this small slice of Australia. We love it here! Here's a video. Caught up on computer projects, videos, writing,
taxes, sailing route research and such. And now that some volatility
has returned to the stock market, trading has become easier, safer
and more profitable. I've been working out often, getting much
stronger, helped substantially by a naturally ketogenic diet. I'm now
66.
October
to January was a long run of hard work on the boat, dodging rain and
freezing temperatures. Got a lot going on: the hulls are painted,
the flooring is done, most of the interior is painted, the galley is
nearly done. I've wanted to learn about fiberglass, boat paints,
routers, so many different materials and new skills for a long time.
That's happening and I feel more competent and confident (with the
boat on the hard, at least). Eventually I'll post YouTube videos on
the projects.
We've
made some wonderful new boatyard friends. People who have a vision
and work for 3 or 4 years to manifest it: buy a big catamaran, or a
steel mono-hull, tear it apart, and rebuild it. These are massive
projects, full of failure and frustration, exposed to the elements,
endless problem solving, toxic chemicals, costing thousands, noise,
mosquitoes and very physically demanding. Yet they (we!) persevere. I'm
inspired being around, working with and learning from these committed
people. There are also boatyard people who haven't accepted that
they will never finish, will never sail again, who haven't moved on.
Boat yards are dangerous and alive places. A woman slipped off a wet
stair, literally fell on her head and severely broke a wrist. I drove
her to the ER. A few days later a guy fell hard off a tall ladder
and broke a hip... ambulance... and a long, long recovery. In the
boatyard we're all instantly connected by our mortality, the value of
today, when someone is injured. I've had a few close calls, too.
There
is a correlation between one's worldview and how much time a person has spent abroad. I've been to nearly 50 countries so here you have it with no apologies: Being spatially (9,000 miles) and temporally (16
hours) distant in Australia, keeping up on the news of mass murders, Trump, the
GOP, etc. has given me a freshened perspective. Imagine (slowly, with
a breath between each): a high standard of living, universal health
care, no guns, zero mass murders since 1996, no TV ads for drugs, no TV
ads for lawyers, roundabouts, no fear of being out alone at night, humane care for the destitute, no monster trucks, no death penalty, no
homeless, no for profit prisons, 'least worst' prioritized
voting, fines if you don't vote, no disenfranchisement of felons, few flags, few churches, low
obesity, a large middle class, small income
inequality and people calling you 'mate' and 'luv', All of that is
everyday normal and ordinary here. I broke out laughing reading a
headline “Men with a knife rob service station”. Seeing this,
living here in Australia for a few months, living what IS possible on
earth, and being from the US, is heartbreaking. The problems in the
US are fixable... everything is... and I feel Trump is a godsend
illuminating how sick things really are. So thank you Donald. We are now on full display, ready
for healing.
Renting
out our Laguna home the past few years was semi successful and
had substantial tax consequences. There was scant interest in use of our
home while we are away. The home exchange concept is working out
great: we're hosting people from the US, Canada, Sweden, Norway,
Australia and working on long stays in Vancouver, Santa Fe, Maui, and
Asheville, etc. It looks like there will be more immersive travel in
our future. We're connecting with people eager to share, to give and
to receive.
I've worked on 'wealth consciousness' for years and I've
finally seen an undeniable shift in myself. I am at ease writing this from a huge waterfront home with a pool, boat,
Tesla, etc. The transformation in me has been slow and long in
coming, but is completely palatable. And there is no holding on to it.
Several
people at the boat yard mentioned recovery from late stage (prostate
and pancreatic) cancer with diet. I was intrigued. Diet? Their
living, breathing proof got me interested in the subject. They (unknown
to each other) both referred me to the same book: Cancer as a Metabolic Disease. It seems very plausible, and dovetails with the
current Ketones supplement fad. I've always preferred eating fats,
avocados, nuts, vegetables and such. Lucky, eh? Fasting is also
mentioned in the book. The reset that happens during fasting makes
plenty of evolutionary sense to me: the stress of no food encourages
jettisoning unproductive cells. Leigh and I tried a 5 day fast before
she left for Peru. I was surprised that it was easy, refreshing and
invigorating. Who knew? Maybe I'll do it annually.
Leigh is continuing her plant medicine work in Peru. She spent the last three weeks in the jungle (near Pucallpa) living in a thatched hut near a lake with rain, mud, insects scuttling around, monkeys, sloths, and leaf cutter ants. She is now in a mountain valley (near Calca) for another two weeks. I've done two plant medicine ceremonies and each was a major life event for me. Each ceremony took my trust, vulnerability, strength, courage and a lot of integration. Leigh is fully committed to doing her work, day after day after day. I'm in awe. Her transformations reliably bring me to tears. We're eager as puppies to be with each other again.
Leigh
shared this quote with me: “Everything
worthwhile in life is won through completing the associated negative
experience. Any attempt to escape the negative, to avoid it, quash
it or silence it only backfires. The avoidance of suffering IS
suffering. The avoidance of struggle IS struggle... Pain is an
inextricable thread in the fabric of life... if you’re able to not
give a fuck about the pain, you become unstoppable." ~~ Mark
Manson
I'm noticing how much time and how many opportunities I have. Like when walking or taking a shower or eating... most anytime. My body will move or clean or feed itself pretty much without my supervision. I don't need to be thinking about it. That gives me lots of time and opportunities to relax, to feel, to connect, to be grateful and to smile. I'm working to make it a habit.
I'm noticing how much time and how many opportunities I have. Like when walking or taking a shower or eating... most anytime. My body will move or clean or feed itself pretty much without my supervision. I don't need to be thinking about it. That gives me lots of time and opportunities to relax, to feel, to connect, to be grateful and to smile. I'm working to make it a habit.
There's
lots of new autobiographical stuff on the website/blog and new YouTube videos, (the ignominious voyage from the Bahamas back to Georgia and our road trip from CA to NM) as well.
As
always, you're invited. We'd love to hear from you.
Brian
& Leigh