Waiting For To Go

The coming weeks traveling the Tennessee-Tombigbee to the Gulf will be an adventure and challenging. Today David is rebuilding the engine’s water pump. Given that we won’t always have convenient laundry facilities, I decided it is a good day to get all our dirty clothes clean. So I headed out to the Florence marina office and laundry room with our backpack/laundry bag and a pocket full of quarters.  At the land end of our pier, I spotted four turtles basking in the sun on rocks and pipes.  Although I posed no danger, they immediately jumped back into the water.  I took a moment to salute them and watch as they dove out of sight.    

I started a load and walked around the office pier, noticing dozens of small fish watching me expectantly.  Fish food is available in gumball machines around the pier.  Having all the time in the world and plenty of quarters, I obliged and fed them several handfuls of pellets.

Laundry brings with it a lot of waiting time.  I sat in a rocking chair with a good mix of shade and sun, enjoying an apple I had brought along.  (I tried not to think about what those pellets had been made of that might remain on my hands while I ate.) The temperature was perfect, the sky deep blue, and now and then an orange or red leaf floated by in the water. Two years now, David and I have made tough calls in the Fall; in both ’23 and ’24 we were beginning our big adventure and realized we needed to delay until the next year.  So seeing Fall leaves floating in the Tennessee has such significance for me.

Waiting for the laundry to finish, waiting to finally head south to the Gulf.

Back at Kotona, I was swept up in the cool of the air, the colors of sky, water and trees; the pure beauty of late October.  We are actually beginning the dream cruising in 2025! I felt like throwing out my arms and twirling like Fraulein Maria on an Alpine mountaintop. But I was on a sailboat and twirling with abandon would have ended with an unpleasant splash the water.

Some things I am seeking on this journey: I want to spend more time looking at the sky.  I want to grow in my prayer life through being immersed in nature. I want to stay connected with friends and family.  I want to do retirement well. And I am learning more about waiting.