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THE NARRATIVE ARC
Lessons Learned on My Voyage
Thirty days at sea gave me wisdom I carry with me
I learned a lot during my thirty days on a small ship. About traveling the seas, being confined in small quarters with others and sometimes about myself.
Back in mid-September, I departed on an unexpected voyage of discovery. I formed part of the crew for a research vessel navigating its way from the Arctic to its home port. My job was cook, not a terribly dignified position, but as one guest described it: “the most important person on board”.
I didn’t quite see it that way, but when the crew gathered at the table to await the next meal, sometimes I felt the significance of my role.
It was not a trip on my bucket list or my vision board for the years I have left. Certainly not from the perspective of working aboard a ship. But some cosmic force put the opportunity in my viewfinder and other stars aligned to convince me to go.
I had no idea what lessons I would learn. They became rules of life at sea and some of them I recognized could be used at home too.
- Always keep one hand available for yourself and one for the ship. This proved incredibly important when the weather deteriorated and we were engulfed in pitching seas. There were…
