Discover life: Side by side

Was I alive today?

Yes! Watching the sunrise from a boat is wonderful!

What new things have I discovered about life?

There are rarely times that are „purely“ wonderful or purely dreadful. Most of the time, life is a good mix of both. I was on board first thing this morning to welcome a helper… I’m so grateful that Bernd (the third person called Bernd!) is helping me remove over a hundred metal strips that need to be cut away so we can stick on the insulation. What a gift.

I am also grateful that so many different people have been supporting me with practical help and donations, both large and small, to my bank account or via PayPal, and Betterplace support me and thus help me to buy the necessary materials and complete the boat.

And last but not least, I’m grateful that we’ve now almost completely got rid of the glass wool, which proved to be rather unsuitable for insulating uneven surfaces. Some of it is now being used to insulate a hut where a homeless person has found shelter. Another part is helping a young man save on heating costs, because his landlord won’t insulate the loft… and he’s been heating the ceiling.

But – when we saw the steel beneath the glass wool, I was horrified. I’d expected to find a good coat of anti-rust paint underneath, but instead I found – rust. About 18 square metres of steel with slight rust spots. Not the end of the world. Nor the end of the ship (not yet!!!), but a new problem.

What new things have I discovered about myself?

I pick up on emotions more quickly and am better able to let them in. In the past, in a situation like this, I would have immediately said: „Let’s get on with it, let’s sort this out!“ That’s what I thought at first, too. But then I realised fairly quickly that a few feelings wanted to be heard too: disappointment, sadness, frustration. So I shed a few little tears first… and then said: „Now I’ll sort it out…“

I find that much more harmonious, soothing and authentic.