A SAILING TRIP

A few years ago, I was living in the basement of my best friend’s house. One night, we stayed up late talking, as we often did. There was probably a fire involved, but he asked me what I valued most in life. My answer was always happiness, because I had spent so many years without it. In return, he had said it is the relationships with the people in his life. I then realized, that maybe, I didn’t put enough value into my own relationships.

At the time, I was in my fourth year of living and working at a remote lodge, spending 230+ days a year there. People came and went, but a few stuck around, becoming like family to me. I built good, even great relationships, making some of my closest friends. But outside the lodge, there was another life I had neglected.

This year, my goal has been to work on those relationships I didn’t have time for. I quit my job, spent more time with my family and traveled the country. I’ve reconnected with old friends and made new ones, going on adventures with the people I care about. But I haven’t been able to spend time with everyone this year, it’s hard to get the timing right. As you grow older, time becomes more valuable, and you learn that life doesn’t wait. People move on, start families, fall into careers, and you end up missing out on opportunities as you get caught up in your own life. Ones you’ll never get back.

So over the past couple of years, I’ve come to understand the importance of relationships. I’ve lost friends to accidents, leaving me to obsess over those last words to them. Looking back, there have been my own moments where the difference between life and death was out of my control. These moments leave a lasting impact, make you realize that you only have so much luck in this life. Because of that; treat every day as a gift, be kind and patient to people, chase what makes you happy, never be scared to share your true feelings, and always tell the people closest to you that you love them, whether they need to hear it or not. Because, when your time does come, the only thing of value you leave behind is the impact you had on someone, their memory of you, and the relationship you built.