Happy Tuesday, readers!
I just got back from a walk, trying to figure out what I wanted to write about today. There’s always something going on at the boat, like putting in portholes, working on the paddle board, or finding a leak we just can’t place, but sometimes I feel the need to write about more than that.
This week, after a couple weeks of contemplation, I decided to chop off my hair. It wasn’t that long anyway, compared to how it was before Steve’s cousin cut it in March on our way home from Mexico. I was already halfway there, so why not? Well, that ‘why not’ has really stuck with me. Why wouldn’t I just cut my hair? Maybe because I’m worried someone won’t like it, or I won’t like it, or it won’t be the same. Maybe because I’m breaking my current status quo. There are a thousand things, but the one that matters is that I wanted it.
I texted with a friend before chopping and she said “I think it would liberate you,” and she was right. So, I did it. And man, it did it feel liberating. The truth is, I used to cut my hair every time I broke up with someone or had a tough month. I would call my cousin and drive over and boom, I’d have short hair or bangs or a new tattoo appointment. The best part about this chop? Nothing like that happened. I don’t need something bad to happen in order to change. I am in this really happy and healthy situation of life with someone who I love and who loves me, and I have never felt more secure. We search for all of these affirmations from other people or the world or social media, but when do we give it to ourselves?
This leads me to another thing that I’ve been thinking about this week. Steve and I have been biking and walking a lot more recently, specifically to get to the boat. We’ve gone after work or before, and we’ve enjoyed the effortless exercise. The thing is, right now we are living in this “let me show you how I got this body in 30 days” society, where we bust our asses to look a certain way or to be seen a certain way, when in reality it only matters how we see ourselves.
Don’t get me wrong, your environment and the people you surround yourself with absolutely contribute to your own mood and view, but you should be the deciding factor of how you feel about yourself. I enjoy exercise and moving my body, but I enjoy hiking, swimming and dancing so much more. The thing is, those are forms of exercise and it never feels like it’s forced when I’m doing those things. Yet when we typically think of working out, those are not the things that come to mind. It’s more like weightlifting or running. I guess I just want to encourage moving in ways that feel good to you, not ways that feel forced. It’s become a new life goal to live life in a way that I get all of my necessary exercise just by doing daily tasks or things I enjoy, and not necessarily workout plans that I sometimes dread. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy working out and weights, but being able to not feel like I slacked when I didn’t do a 30 minute workout would be wonderful. And this week, we’ve been able to exercise and move in ways that felt GOOD, and I haven’t done one workout set. We’ve biked and gone on long walks and ran around with Buoy on the beach. Our lives are slowly turning into the life I’ve dreamed of. We walk our dog or take a swim in the ocean, even sailing works you out so hard! This feels a bit like a rant, and it isn’t to shame anyone who works out every day or goes to the gym, because I enjoy those too, it’s just to bring attention to the ways we can still be healthy and feel good without the guilt we may feel when we don’t do a mainstream “workout” and instead move in ways we love.
It’s been a good week. We stayed on the boat and worked on the board and the porthole. We’ve enjoyed Buoy walks and we even bought her a carriage that connects to the back of our bikes so we can pull her behind us! Hair was cut, life was lived, food was enjoyed. Life is good, and we are so so lucky to be living this way together.
I hope you find ways to move that bring a smile to your face. I hope you find acceptance within yourself and things that liberate you. I hope this blog found you well, and I hope this week continues to be good to you.
Cheers,
Skye
Mentally Sailing 