A Pirate's Life For Me ...

It didn't take the release of four Pirates of the Caribbean films to show me that I crave adventure. Surprise. The unexpected. Exciting discoveries and treasure maps. Swashbuckling and rain on my face. I also like the idea of sailing on a grand ship ... of traveling the world cradled by the waves and the giant golden sunset.

There's something about the feel of the wind billowing in the masts. A calling of the sea that beckons me to venture away from dry-land and steer by the stars. To encounter whales and dolphins and other sea creatures who leap or follow in your wake. To abandon your sense of direction and trust a compass where there are no road signs or orange lines to tell you you've crossed to the wrong side.

The ebb and flow of the tide fascinates me as well. It comes in ... goes out ... nothing tangible to explain it. The moon influences it, yes, but as the water swirls around your ankles and you feel the crash of the waves on a sandy beach ... there is such a sense of magic and wonder. And a realization that the tide is its own adventure ... you can't control it. You just ride with it.

A pirate travels places others fear to go -- sees things other people may never see. It's not the quest for gold that draws me to piracy. I have no desire to become a marauder or take over other's ships. One of my own would be fine. I'd like to stand up in the sails and feel the wind in my hair. I'd like to venture into the horizon and feel the ship dance in the waves beneath my feet.

Glowing teak decks ... soaring masts ... brass handrails. A beautiful carved figurehead ... and a transom which features the name I christen using a broken bottle of rum ... I'd call her Mistress of the Sea ....

I think I could be a wonderful pirate. I'd acquire some dashing pirate name -- suggestions welcome here!  (I've come up with Bad Rum Jo. Lusty Lady Louise. Mai Tai Meg. Bonnie Blue Moon. Cap'n Jen the Red -- still seeking the right one.)  Oh, and I'd wear one of those magnificent pirate coats and a white puffy shirt with tight breeches and high black leather boots. I'd have a sword and a hat with a plum.  And I would make those who crossed me swab the deck and bring me rum. I would have an exciting crew and a hideout on a tropical island ....

On the waves, I would find a sense of quiet too. The only sounds be the waves as they caress the wood. The seagulls. Quiet. Calm. Water does that for me. I'm not seeking busyness. But beauty and adventure. Becoming one with the sea as I go forth with those who wish to travel with me.

Perhaps it was growing up on a lake and the love I had riding around in my dad's boat that created the call of the sea. I remember urging him to go faster as we traveled the lake. Grinning contentedly as I sat in the very front holding tight as the wind tossed my hair about and the water hit the boat. I remember lying on the pier and listening to the sound of the waves as they gently caressed the boards. I remember how my heart-rate slowed every time I reached the water ...

Perhaps too many Errol Flynn movies with swashbuckling adventure have planted their image in my mind. I recognize the romantic in me. What about you? Are you an adventurer? Not everyone is. Some prefer the calm of port. The grandeur of life in the palace. The simplicity of common life and knowing what to expect every morning. No wrong answer. Choose your quest ... dream your dream ...

But avast ye scurvy mates ... me hearties ... Yo ho ... a pirate's life for me...

 

                                                                                                                                -- Jenni