Relaxing

Life can be stressful and hectic, that doesn’t go away and sometimes it may even be worse while living on a boat

but there are these moments…

small moments…

That make life feel so peaceful…

We have 2 adults and 2 energetic young kids in 41 feet worth of boat. We estimate that our living space is about 300 square feet.

It is understandably crowded.

Toys get spread all over.

It is loud and sometimes difficult to get work done. There are always boat projects to do, which make their own mess and take up space.

This might not sound like much of a life to many people and of course it isn’t right for everyone.

But there are these unexpected peaceful moments that just didn’t exist for us when we lived in suburbia.

It is hard to put into words the feeling when you go outside into the cockpit first thing in the morning (to open the propane valve so you can heat the kettle on the stove) the air is fresh and clean, the water is as still as glass.

There is this moment where you seem to inhale the calmness of the morning and just feel peaceful.

Another unexpected moment is when it rains…

Sitting inside listening to the pitter patter of raindrops splashing on the deck.

Or even better sitting in the cockpit under cover watching the rain dance on the water.

It is amazing when it rains. The water becomes almost perfectly flat with only the ripples from each rain drop spreading out to play with the others.

When life gets stressful, as it does, nothing beats taking a moment to go upstairs and lay on deck.

Looking up at the inky dark sky sparkling with stars or watching clouds drift lazily while the boat gently rocks.

It is almost indescribably calming.

Our days aren’t always full of beauty, but there are days when we eat dinner in the cockpit surrounded by clouds alight with the flaming colors of the sun’s descent…

and afterwards we sit on deck to watch the full moon ascend into the heavens.

There were occasional moments like these in our former life.

In fact, seeing the beauty of a total solar eclipse was a large part of why we made the decision to change our lives and seek more moments like these.

Most of our life was just repetition of the mundane. We still have mundane tasks but we also experience these small moments on an almost daily basis.

The kids are also finding these moments of beauty. They notice the changing colors of the sunsets and the beauty of the moon.

Even the little one points out flowers that he says are “gorgeous!”

These are the moments that feed the soul. And we are just getting started.