Tiller Time and a jade knob on my hiking stick

Tiller Time and a jade knob on my hiking stick

It seems that with all things in life, doing it often produces the best results barring the natural talent some folks are born with. The musicians tell the joke of the tourist who asked the cab driver, “how do you get to Carnegie Hall?” and the cabbie (perhaps a musician himself) answered, “practice, practice, practice” Thus it is obvious that in order to master something we must serve that something first. Surrender to its allure and give ourselves to the magic pull of the practice. Force ourselves to trudge in failure and surmount the obstacles with courage in the knowledge that enlightenment sometimes occurs in subtle rays of light as we open our morning blinds or it strikes with enough force to knock you off a horse.

My sailing is certainly full of romantic passion, I know about laminar flow and my nautical exploits cover racing and cruising the Caribbean, Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico all the way to Isla Mujeres and Key West. Many high performance platforms have I sailed. Even though we do not carry one on the laser, I even know what a triatic stay is. Yet, I am not there yet. Mastering sailing takes a lifetime of doing. On the Laser, on the Lippincott 30, on the J120, on every boat, every outing teaches us some nuance that brings even more value to the experience. If only our senses would always be open to the teachings of the sea, the winds, the currents, the immense cathedral of creation. And I continue to ask, “would the waters remember my wake?”

The story about the jade novice and the jade master comes to mind. With credits to whom they belong as I do not know the author of the story and I affirm I read it many years ago.

As I remember it, the story loosely goes like this….

In the ancient Orient, Jade is considered primal matter. Jade is assigned virtues and powers as honest, true, longevity, god like. Hence, it is not a rock but a state of being to accept Jade as this valuable element. So, a Jade novice is said, wanted to learn everything there was to be known about Jade. He had already studied its composition, the many variations of Jade, the way to carve it, the way to present it, the many ways Jade could touch the soul, still he wanted more Jade knowledge. In his quest he was directed to the door of the Jade Master castle. There the honorable Jade Master received him into what the novice thought was going to be the apprenticeship of a lifetime. That first day, the Jade Master placed a piece of Jade in his hands and proceeded to talk about the mysteries of life. At the end of the day, the Jade Master wished him a good evening and left him alone. The second day, the Jade Master received him again, placed another piece of Jade in the novice hands and proceeded to talk about the wonders of nature all day long. Like the day before, when evening came, the novice was left alone. Every day went the same, the Jade Master would place a piece of Jade in the novice’s hands and proceed to talk about animals, the sea, religion, politics, etc. Our novice though respectful was becoming irritated and some desperation was affecting him. He had been respectful, he had been attentive to the Jade Master, day after day he had heard the Jade Master speak about wonderful topics but not one secret about Jade, no Jade magic, no Jade cryptic origins. He was ready to tell the Jade Master how disappointed he was and that either the Jade Master started teaching him about Jade or he would quit. Set this way in his mind, the novice went to sleep.

The next morning, gathering all his courage and determination he presented himself to the Jade Master. As all other mornings before, the Jade Master placed a piece of Jade in his hands though this time the Jade Master had replaced the piece of Jade by a rock that just look like Jade. Before even thinking about how to address the Jade Master about his short comings, the Jade Novice feeling the impostor in his hands exclaimed, “this is not Jade!” Thus the Jade Master told him, “now you know everything there is to know about Jade”. It was obvious to our Jade Novice now that he so intimately knew Jade that he could tell by the touch of his fingers the structure of real Jade. With a deep bow he honored his Jade Master and went home.

Hence, Tiller Time is what we all need, an open mind, friendly competition, a willing heart and a trusting soul. “We are the children of the Universe, no less than the trees or the stars we have a right to be here and whether or not it is clear to us, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should” quoted from DESIDERATA by Max Ehrmann).

So, if you spot a Jade knob at the end of my hiking stick, now you know the rest of the story…good day. Quoted from Paul Harvey.

Arriba los viejitos

Arriba los Viejitos!! Or I’ll rest when I die.

Arriba los viejitos is a popular “saying” in my dear Island of Puerto Rico. It loosely translates to “up with the old guys/gals”. Los viejitos can when they do. We all have the will and the spirit, it is typically the body that gives in before the spirit does. It is a great spirit which pushes and carries the body pass exhaustion and pain into glory. The results column invariably misses the struggle, the clawing, the unyielding character of those who choose to battle until the battle is done or until the last breath escapes our bleeding lungs. The ones that strive and push beyond the limits of what is expected are always praised and admired. Secretly, we all appreciate those who refuse to go quietly into the night.

Laser masters come in all sorts of shapes, colors, sizes, etc. but they all share those characteristics embodied by their many colorful bumper stickers. “Cheat the nursing home, die on your laser”; “too old to hike, too young to die”. As we prepare for one more regatta, that cautious but challenging Spartan farewell comes to mind, “e tan, e epi tan” almost translates to “return with the laser or on the laser but not without the laser”. Another quote that comes to mind was used by Shane Falco (Keanu Reeves) on the movie The Replacements, “pain heals, chicks dig scars, glory lasts forever”. And so we dress up for one more. In the company of kin minded friends we launch our lasers into the eternal waters that saw our birth and will remain after our passing. Will the waters remember our wake?
And so I call on you as I call on myself, strive, fight, struggle, refuse to yield, roar like the storm. We can all hike more, point higher and better our lot. There will be plenty of time to rest when we die. But we are not there yet sailors. So while there is will, let’s make a way.