I was sitting at my desk filling out my Canada Pension (CPP) Form. The form has an area at the top for personal information and a bit more. It has a big area of small text that I’m sure very few people read. At the bottom there is a place for a signature and date.
I filled out the top, skipped over the middle, and hovered my pen on the signature place at the bottom.
Now signatures are permanent where the government is concerned, but that wasn’t really what brought out a cold sweat on me.
My first thought was a loud (in my head), “Is that all there is?” followed by that cold sweat. I was not liking what I was doing because it occurred to me that I had no long term plan.
A few days later the same feeling hit me but this time there was a cold sweat followed by a “F*ck NO! I still have one more ride in me! Maybe two or three!” Self-talk can be powerful when it is piled on with “positive self-talk”
I began to realize that I had loved competitive and cruising sailing for the last 30 years. I had loved photography for the last 10 years. I loved traveling. I loved taking on new and difficult tasks.
It took a month or so to study what was involved in getting a boat again, going for a long sail, and basically doing one more startup with a crew, a goal and all the business stuff like budgets, timelines, and the dreaded critical breakdown structures.
Out of this horrible realization, followed by a pile of constructive thought process, and research came my next step, which was post CPP.
That’s how Sailing Cambio was born two and a half years ago. I’ve now bought the boat, spent a summer season getting practical cruising experience on a new boat. I’ve mapped out where I want to sail to. I’ve given some deep thought on what kind of photography I want to do, and to end up doing something that I’ve never done before.
All due to the cold sweat of a significant signature on a CPP form.
And that is why I’m bringing the boat up to near mechanical ‘perfection’; began recruiting sailors with adventure in their souls; spent two winters mapping out cruising waters and learning all I can from YouTube, reading, talks with experts and by doing.
The adventure started 2 and a half years ago and the next step is preparing the boat for launch in a few days, then cleaning, maintenance, and sea trials which will start a second season of big boat cruising experience on Lake Ontario.
Then September 1 or so the boat and crew leaves for the Caribbean to start the adventure.
All because I was shook up by the very officious signature. It didn’t turn out so badly after all.
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