Friday, April 29, 2016

Blogging from A to Z: Y is for "You Never Know"


During the month of April last year, I participated in the A to Z Blogging Challenge - one alphabet-themed post per day (except Sundays).  I had such a good time with it that I'm doing it again this year.  I'm loosely organized on the theme of downsizing, minimalism, and small-home living that I've learned in 14 years of living on a small boat.  I'm starting with A is for Anchoring Out, Anger-ing Out, and ending with Z is for Zout and Zwarte Peper (Dutch for salt and black pepper). Click on the A to Z logo on the lower left sidebar for links to many other bloggers participating in the challenge.

You never know. (image from here)

One of the biggest challenge for me is finding a balance in living simply.  On the one hand, we want to live with less and be open to new experiences.  But on the other hand, when we think about having what we need to be self-sufficient when we're off the grid or at sea, we can get into almost hoarder territory. You never know if you're going to be able to find a marine supply store if something breaks, better carry a supply of spare parts. You never know if you're going to find friends in the next anchorage and want to invite them over for happy hour, better provision with lots of snacks and munchies. You never know if you will (somehow) find a way to reuse the  piece of teak left over from the last boat project you did, better store it somewhere. And, my particular challenge: finding a special food ingredient or condiment that I love and learn to depend on. Knowing I'd be frustrated if I couldn't find it again when I wanted it, so stocking up on lots.  All too often, it sits in the lockers slowly aging when I find a new enthusiasm. 

It reminds me of the parable about the traveler who was walking to another distant village and found the path blocked by a wide river. He cast about in the woods and gathered materials and made himself a raft. He crossed the river safely.  The rest of his voyage, though, was terribly burdened, because he decided to bring the raft along, just in case he came to another river. 

The moral of the simple-living story, of course, is that the lesson of the raft can be taken two ways. Certainly experience has taught our traveler that there are rivers that need crossing, and it's handy to have a tool to cross them with. But experience has also taught him that he's creative and can build a good-enough raft from materials at hand. He might have to repeat his work if there is a second river, but in the meantime he can travel lighter.

So while I try to prepare for you-never-know-what, I have to also learn that I don't need to prepare for everything; it's also okay, even advisable, to leave room for spontaneous solutions so I can travel a bit more lightly. Our boat's waterline will appreciate it.   

= = = = 

(Except for knowledge, of course. I love filing away random bits of knowledge, that you never know when they will be applicable. Besides, knowledge takes no space!)


20 comments:

  1. I don't think I could live so small as we have so much stuff! Which is also bad, but so many things I can't part with. But I'd love to live on a boat for awhile to experience the freedom! I wrote on southern food and memories. https://everyonehasafamilystorytotell.wordpress.com/2016/04/28/blogging-from-a-to-z-april-2016-x/comment-page-1/#comment-437

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    1. And that, Jeanne, is why we have a storage shed (see my "S" post: http://lifeafloatarchives.blogspot.com/2016/04/blogging-from-to-z-s-is-for-storage-and.html) Some things can be replaced simply with buying a replacement with cash, but those things that carry sentimental stories of course cannot!

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    2. Just checked your blog and your X post -- wow! (The only thing my mom ever taught me to make for dinner was reservations.)

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  2. Found you from the A to Z. What an exciting adventure, to live on the sea. I'll have to go back and read some more of your posts. I was caught by your name, Jaye. That's my little sister's name and I rarely see it anywhere else. Have a terrific Friday. You can find me at http://asmile4ufromjanet.blogspot.com/2016/04/a-to-z-challenge-2016_29.html if you are so inclined.

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    1. Cool! Thanx for stopping by. I only know one other "Jaye" a friend I met through Facebook. Just checked your blog -- Yodel? Can't wait to browse a bit more!

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    2. You can find the story of my sister's name, and the rest of my "J" family at my "Q" is for Quartet on the A to Z if you're interested.

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  3. Great blog post, Jaye. You really hit the nail on the head. I find myself fighting the same internal argument and tried to show some restraint when I provisioned this year. At the same time I bought 12 packages of brownie mix for a six month cruise. Surely that's way too much but "you never know!"

    Cheers, Stephanie

    http://www.svcambria.com/2016/04/things-we-dont-like-about-living-aboard.html

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    1. LOL Stephanie! I have an incredible collection of packets of powdered coconut milk. And, um, ramen noodles. (*blush*)

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  4. I'd have to disagree with Stephanie - 12 brownie mix packets is not way too much. It sounds like they're woefully underprovisioned. We may need to send in a helicopter with rescue brownie supplies at some point.

    Good post and very timely as I think through what we need onboard just in case. Brownie mix - yes. Joker valve - yes.

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    1. I wonder if there is a helicopter that can deliver pizza when you're underway?

      Joker valve, blech. Water filters.

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  5. I am all for the "you never know" things that don't take up any space. Having to "plan" for anything makes a boat darn heavy. Finding a balance is what it is all about, and that involves some risky choices! :-)

    Liesbet @ Roaming About – A Life Less Ordinary

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    1. It definitely does. Growing up as a poor farm kid, Dan tends toward the Boy Scout "be prepared" end of the spectrum. But we're not crossing oceans here ...

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  6. The "you never know" is a problem on land as well as at sea:)

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    1. True that! On land or afloat, balance is important!

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  7. I have enjoyed these posts and bits of wisdom. You just never know....

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    1. LOL Joanne! Looking forward to following you post-Challenge!

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  8. Sooo, you're saying I can probably go ahead and clear out that place under the cabin sole where we store all the various pieces of teakwood in every shape imaginable? I could really use the space.

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    1. I guess it depends on what future projects you envision for your boat. My friend Joan made a "decision rule" -- scraps and what-ifs had to be designated for a SPECIFIC project that was going to be completed WITHIN THE NEXT SIX MONTHS. Otherwise she assumed that they would be able to find what they needed when they needed it. She judged the potential cost of repurchasing the wood less expensive than the cost of the storage. This was on land but seems to me that the rule could be tweaked a little and would cover cruising as well.

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  9. I loved the raft illustration, and hoarding only for specific projects within a time frame. -Lucy

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    1. Thanx. We tweaked the hoarding rule to allow exceptions for things it would be difficult to duplicate, such as scraps of the fabric we used for the upholstery, might be hard to find that pattern again if it goes out of production. But otherwise, yes, we follow Joan's rule. Glad you found it helpful!

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