A Fork in the Road

Captain's Blog 5/26/2015

I went for a bicycle ride by myself down a very long desolate road- the Pacific Ocean on one side, a blue lagoon on the other. It is a single road that curves gently along a narrow strip of coral forming the circular atoll of Fakarava in the Tuomotu’s. Just one road. But there on that single road with no turns of any significance, there was a fork in the road.

   

I don’t know. Maybe it’s just me, but sometimes I read a message in these occurrences, a bigger meaning in simple things like this. But really, I implore, why not a knife or spoon? Why did it have to be a fork? It was just lying there in the middle of the road begging me for some sort of a decision.  Well, I took a picture and decided to write about it in the blog. 

I thought about it after the fact and concluded that no matter how straight or choice-less the road we are on seems (like sailing the ocean), there is always a fork laying there begging for a decision. We might not always see it as literally as my recent encounter, but it is there for introspection. Our journeys are simply a series of decisions. If a literal fork in the road shows up and makes us think, that is awesome. If not, we still need to stop once in a while and take a fresh look at the road we are on. We must ask ourselves if this is the road we set out on, if we should still be here on this road, ask ourselves if maybe we missed a turn, ask ourselves if we should leave the road and bushwhack our own path, ask if there was a fork in the road that was not on the map, or perhaps simply confirm the destination we expect is just down this road a bit. The latter usually prevails in a well-planned journey, but life is not without its challenges and it is easy to get lost among the waves.

The miserable blue handled utensil in the middle of the lonely road made me think. Our road does not go on forever, it has an end, and doing the best we know how as stewards of our life, we should make this our means, and stop to ponder each fork. That was enough for one bicycle ride, so I put it back on the boat-

Sea Angel has arrived at the southern pass into the Fakarava atoll.  It is a beautiful spot with clear blue water, live coral everywhere, and oops, sharks. Yes, quite a few sharks, the friendly sort I hear.  I watched a local spear fisherman snorkeling along beside us with an igloo cooler attached to 30 feet of cord.  He put his catch in the cooler and towed it behind.  Behind the cooler swam the sharks.  It was a procession…….  fisherman, cooler, sharks.  I was on Sea Angel.  It all seemed to work pretty well.

We are now well into the South Pacific and within a relative stone’s throw away from Tonga.  I have really begun to reflect with great gratitude the journey that has gotten us here.  The experiences we have shared, the sights we have seen, the people we have met, the experiences we have had.  When we arrive in Tahiti (I hear the land of robust internet connections!), I look forward to putting together a bigger collage of pictures, videos, and heartfelt stories.   With all honesty and sincerity, thank you for following along with us, for keeping us in your prayers.

-DL

The Sea Angel is sailing to the South Pacific to be a part of Sea Mercy. Sea Mercy is a benevolent program developed for disaster and critical care needs for remote islanders. Sea Mercy is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) charity with a simple vision and mission to "stand in the gap" with a service delivery vessel, trained health care volunteers, support equipment, and critical care services as island nations develop their "outer island" health care infrastructure, when critical health care need opportunities are present, or when disasters occur. If our journey with the Sea Angel moves you, we welcome you to consider donating on our behalf to Sea Mercy - they have several ways to get involved and are so grateful for your support. For more information on how you can help, click HERE.

Sea Mercy's Corporate "We Care" Program is designed to help organizations to attract and engage clients, vendors, and employees naturally in the spirit of social responsibility and providing a wonderfully enriching partnership. There are several ways to participate with "We Care". Visit Sea Mercy's website for additional information. If you know of an organization or would like to involve yours, please share this information forward. Thank you for keeping in touch!