#0040 | uncharted waters

Submitted by Michelle in Corvallis, Oregon.

Here’s Michelle’s story:

“I recently had the opportunity to take an Alaskan glacier cruise, a trip I have been looking forward to for decades. Although the scenery was magnificent, my fondest memories are of the nights out at sea. With the lights from our ship reflecting in the icy water, I would lose myself in thought in the brisk night air, letting my thoughts roam free as the vessel swayed from side to side.

Of all of these rambling meditations, the one that piqued my interest most was imagining what it must have been like for the oceans’ earliest explorers. Taking a commercial cruise is one type of experience, but being adrift at sea in a crudely hewn boat not knowing what lay beyond the horizon must have been quite a thrill. For those voyagers, fear and excitement must have been a big part of their daily lives as they ventured forth into the unknown.

Surely there were nights when visibility was minimal, the weather was unsettled, and those aboard wondered if they would make it to shore alive. Yet these concerns were never enough to prevent them from continuing onward. There is something profound about that, I think, about their confidence in the face of uncertainty, and I will always think of those intrepid sailors when I recall the wonderful time I had at sea.”