Just a few days ago, we returned to the town where Sila was built, Tréguier. It was inexplicably different. After walking around the town, I noticed that two things had changed. The first was construction that had been completed on buildings, parking complexes and the boatyard, but that didn't change the essence of the town. The second difference was my perspective. The change in the town was not from the content that I saw, but from the eye that saw it. Though the same boat, Sila, has returned, I wonder whether the same Porter returned with her.
The three Barnes boys on the foredeck as we motor up the river to Tréguier. It was especially fun to
see the Cathedral steeple up the hill.
see the Cathedral steeple up the hill.
November 2015
When we arrived in 2013, I was looking at two to four years of living on a boat and sailing around the world. It was an exciting, though slightly nerve-racking prospect. I had my fears, as you might imagine. Running out of drinking water, sinking the boat, and dealing with rough weather were at the top of the list. Now, after seeing Sila in dozens of situations, those fears have receded. In their place are fears of falling overboard, dealing with a fire onboard, and failing to adapt when we move ashore. With the coming and going of those fears, I think I have changed considerably.
Obviously, in the last two years I have grown taller, five and a half inches, but my growth has not been just physical. The past two years have bent and adjusted the way I think about things. Living on Sila has shaped my character even as a gardener shapes a small hedge as it grows. Whether this shaping is desirable or not, I doubt I will ever know. Either way, I am sure it will have an effect on me for the rest of my life.
This is me at a creperie in Tréguier's town square in 2013
And this is me a couple of weeks ago
Wherever I look, Tréguier is the same town, only changed by the minor differences caused by the passing of time. Below that, the core of the town is the same even so. In contrast, I have changed in both ways: I am recognizable as the same person, though I am basically different. Tréguier is the same, and I am different.
-Porter
-Porter
Very insightful Porter. Well said.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt you have changed, in so MANY ways!
ReplyDelete