3/27/2017 0 Comments Dealing with OverwhelmIt’s been a long time since I updated this blog…. Way too long, but with good reason.
It has been two years now since I found myself the skipper of Argos. The first year presented many challenges, but the second came with unique challenges all of its own – mostly surrounding the accident that resulted in my breaking my leg, and the recovery period that followed it. It has been almost ten months now since that day I tried in vain to retrieve a $2 bucket. And it has been 7 months and a week or two since I was able to return to the boat. When I first came back to the boat I could barely walk. I could manage to climb on board with help, though it was painful, and move around the boat – which actually enhanced my recovery somewhat, as the boat is in constant motion even when it is calm, a situation that I am sure contributed to the healing process in ways that would not have happened had I remained on land any longer. There was a lot to catch up on and those first months back on board were quite frustrating for me as I saw jobs that needed to be attended to, but which I was not yet able to manage. The past couple of months has seen a lot of things begun, a lot of projects started and some even completed. One of the biggest issues I have been dealing with through all this is the need to not allow all that needs my attention to overwhelm me – and the reality is, that if I step back and look around me this could so easily be the case all the time…..there literally is just so much that needs to be done. Put simply, boats need on-going maintenance and poor old Argos has suffered enough in her time, this past year has been tough on her. This is the main reason I have neglected this blog……where to start talking about all the things that have needed attention! Oh my! I have always been a list maker and a box ticker. That, I would have to say, has so often been my salvation when it comes to situations where ‘overwhelm’ could be my final destination! Currently my list is a bit long, but there are some ticks and that keeps me going. Here is how it appears today…..
I keep my list where it is visible all the time and add to it…….seems like I add things to it more than I get the pleasure of ticking boxes, but hey, that’s life on board an older boat right? I guess that’s the thing. Argos IS an older boat and the reality is, maintenance needs to be attended to every day to not let it get away from me. But those months away and the months when I couldn’t do much, have really taken their toll. Someone said to me recently that an hour a day is what it takes to keep on top of things and that, along with my list, is helping to keep me sane - well sane-ish anyway! In addition to my own strategies for dealing with the potential to get overwhelmed, I have been incredibly fortunate to have made a fantastic friend – someone who jumps in frequently to lend a hand, share some knowledge and offer support – who dives on my hull, climbs my mast to help get my Christmas Lights down, and shows me how to do everything from tying a knot properly (no offense Liam, some lessons are hard to learn from your own son!) to servicing my engine…….Argos (and I) are incredibly appreciative. So here is how I deal with the abiding, lurking wolf I call ‘Overwhelm’…… I write down the jobs that need doing. I note everything – big and small – especially the small things that can so easily get overlooked – that I get done. I don’t throw away my list and start a new one – I keep the one with the ticks on it to keep myself motivated by what I have achieved. I focus on making progress even if I don’t get something finished. So if I make a start on a job I give it a half tick, or I break the job down into parts and tick off the parts. I ask for and accept help when it is offered. I listen and learn. I am working on allocating a bit of time EVERY single day – even if it’s not as long as I might like, and then I make up for days when I don’t get enough time by spending longer on other days. I remind myself that it is actually possible to move a mountain…….by shifting the dirt one bucket at a time. Owning an older boat is both a challenge and a privilege. And that is certainly true of a boat like Argos. She is amazing – hard work on many levels – but like anything of value – worth the effort. Over the past few months I have been able (with my lovely friend’s assistance) to learn some pretty cool things. I can now tie knots so much better…….this is seriously good as I must confess to being a crappy knot tie-er in the past! I can service my own engine…..and anyone who knows me well will appreciate how much of a feat that is! I am becoming much more capable around names of things and can communicate much more clearly in proper boat-speak. I can anchor my boat without assistance and am especially happy that I can drop the anchor where I want it to go pretty accurately and end up where I planned most of the time. I can move the boat as required here (once a week) without anyone helping me. I do still get a bit of help when I am coming into a more crowded anchorage and have the help of several boaties in this depending on who is around and at home on the day! I am, in the words of Louisa May Alcott not as afraid of storms as I once was, because I am learning to sail my own ship. Speaking of sailing my own ship – that’s also coming along quite nicely. In fact I have had some excellent days out sailing – though not on Argos. I have been lucky to be able to go sailing on a very responsive Miller and Whitworth 32. It’s been awesome to go out and actually begin to learn how to sail properly and then hopefully be able to bring those skills and that knowledge back to Argos. I have one more job to attend to before we will be ready to get Argos out sailing (the raw water intake strainer that needs replacing) and then we are planning a Take Argos Out Day……..watch this space for pics of that fun! The jobs sit there in the background……the list keeps them before me…….but there has to be fun times too or it all gets too hard, right? So that’s my update for now. I’ve avoided writing for long enough!
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September 2017
Our life aboard Argos has been seriously challenged this year with the surprise departure of our skipper. As a writer, diesel mechanics and the complexities of many aspects of Argos’ on-going maintenance are way beyond me! We would like to see Argos continue to sail and eventually hope to use her to offer support, encouragement and a break to people who are struggling in their lives. Any on-going help towards maintaining Argos would be greatly appreciated and enable us to achieve this goal.
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