I’ve just returned from an 11 day Thailand getaway and so here’s a story from that adventure.

Some friends organised a speed boat to take us on a tour of Phi Phi Islands.
After a brief group info session for all tour groups, our group of 25 people walked out along the marina and boarded our boat.  A bench seat down both sides of the boat meant I needed to be strategic in my seating plan.
With my anti nausea wrist bands on, I stood behind the driver, facing the front of the boat so I could keep my eyes fixed on the horizon.  I’m a known ‘chucker’ since childhood.
It was quite the speed boat ride with SPEED being a key element.
For the 45 minute ride I had 3 strategies:
1) face the direction we are traveling in.
2) keep my eyes fixed on the horizon.
3) stand the whole journey so I can take the movement of the boat by flexing at the knees, rather than feeling it in my stomach.

In the midst of this boat ride, I contemplated how much it is like the ride of life.  You can be strategic in where you position yourself and you can have a plan,  but the plan doesn’t always come to pass.  Thankfully on this boat ride, my plan did come to pass. But in life itself, that hasn’t always been the case. But then I haven’t always stuck to the strategy.

So in reviewing my 3 strategies :
1) face the direction we are traveling in.
Go with it!  Make the most of it.  Fight for what you want out of it, but don’t fight against it.  It’s part of the process.  I’m still learning all about the process….
2) keep my eyes fixed on the horizon.
The horizon keeps us centred,  balanced, focused. It is the equilibrium! That which keeps my stomach contents and the crashing waves from coming together as one.  What is your equilibrium?
For me it is my faith in God. Sometimes we do lose our focus, and we take our eyes off the horizon.  But it’s important to recognise this (if and when it does happen), and then refocus before ‘disaster’ strikes.  The less turmoil incurred means less ‘damage control’ to clean up.
3) stand the whole journey so I can take the movement of the boat by flexing at the knees, rather than feeling it in my stomach.
Find the stance you need to take to complete the journey.  A quote by Charles F. Glassware reads: “Stress can destroy much more than our physical health.  Too often it eats away at our hope, belief and faith.”  So find your ‘flex point’ so you can handle the blows well when they hit?

Then while it wasn’t a strategy I planned on, I certainly implemented each of these as we hit the waves.
Remember to laugh, scream, and grit your teeth, whatever the moment calls for because: 1) it’s a good anxiety release. 2) because even in the midst of the rough, there are moments to enjoy. You just have to hang on. And sometimes that means hanging on real tight, with everything you’ve got, and then some!  Hang on to life itself! And then tell your story from the other side… because you will eventually reach the destination you’re aiming for,  so long as you don’t give up before you get there.

Lastly,  we were not the only boat on the water.  We’re all on a journey.  We don’t know their experience,  and they don’t know ours.  Some get a smooth, easy, enjoyable ride,  while others get a crazy, wild, rough ride.  Most of us get somewhere in the middle.
So assume nothing, and be kind to everyone, including yourself.