OMG. The house has been on the market for 14 days, and now we have a valid contract. We’re working toward a closing date of May 21. I know it’s not supposed to be this easy. I almost had a panic attack when I realized we were another step closer to casting off. A friend described it as “standing at the edge of the high dive.” Excited and scared at the same time. In two months, we walk away from our friends and everything that’s been our normal life for over twenty years. I sure hope there’s water in the pool.

We still have to jump though all the hoops required to sell the house, especially packing and moving, and I’ll have to find a place to live for a month while I finish up my job at the WBA. So, we’re not out of the woods yet. We’ll be going to St. Marys soon to register our cars and set up our mailing address, as well as drop off the first load of stuff. If we thought it was hell getting the house ready to stage, I don’t know what to call packing up 4,000 square feet of stuff and trying to fit it into a 1,400 square foot house that’s already furnished and full. My back already aches just thinking about it.

Regardless, in three and a half months, we could be setting sail.

Yesterday was a sad day.  We attended the funeral for the son of some good friends. He was 41, taken tragically in an accident on the freeway. In all the eulogies, the common theme was that he loved his job and his wife, was always laughing and making those around him laugh, and lived his life in the moment taking full advantage of each precious minute. His father said that while he did not have a life as long as he should have had, he did have a full and happy life.

My life has always been about taking care of things later. I’ve always felt there was time to eventually get around to doing the things I wanted to do. Slowly, I’ve had to pry myself away from that notion. Passing 60 will do that to you. Suzy and I started planning this sailing sabbatical because we felt we were running out of time. Yesterday reinforced the realization that we are only a heartbeat away from everything changing.

Going sailing won’t miraculously give us a more meaningful life. We already have that. We love our life together and find great joy in each day. Even if we stay rooted on dry land, we’ll still be happy. But sailing is a dream, and dreams should be followed – not put off.  We may make a total mess of things. That’s okay. I can think of countless reasons why we shouldn’t cast off. They are all good reasons, too. But there will always be good reasons for maintaining the status quo. There’s one reason for following the dream. Dreams are ephemeral. If you don’t chase yours today, you may not have a chance tomorrow.

Well, the old homestead has been on the market now for eight days, and it’s been shown about a dozen times so far. We’re into our second weekend. The worst part about showing the house is that we need to be out of the way, which means we leave home when the house shows. We’re running out of places to hide. We can’t stay home on the weekends. Tomorrow, for the second straight Sunday, we won’t be able to eat dinner at home.  Eating out a lot. Expanding both our food bill and my waistline. I’ll be glad when this is over so I can cook in my own kitchen again, shave in my own bathroom and work in (read, “mess up”) my office and basement.

I’ve always known that I’m more comfortable with a routine, but I guess I never realized how much I depend on it. We expect the house to sell pretty soon, and then I’ll have to set up a new routine. Freed from the Corporate world, what will I do? Can I adjust to a lifestyle where the plans are “written in water?”

Yeah. Not too worried about it. Please, Br’er Fox, don’t throw me into that briar patch.

Plans for a shakedown summer are slowly starting to materialize. I think we’ll stay mostly in the coastal areas between St. Marys and Beaufort, SC, from the Fourth of July to Labor Day. It can get hot behind the barrier islands in August, so we should find out what we need to do to stay comfortable aboard, and how well the refrigerator works. If we need help, we’ll have access to resources in Brunswick, Thunderbolt and Beaufort, and we’ll still be close to home if we have to bail for some reason. Maybe I can finally learn to fish.

BTW, we’ve learned that when we greet Grandchild Number Four in September, we’ll be welcoming a new baby girl. That will maintain balance and order in the Universe. Daughter #2 has two boys. Now, Daughter #1 will have two girls. All is right with the world.