When was the last time you gazed upon a starlit sky and saw the Milky Way so clearly that it appeared as a brilliant white path through the sky? When was the last time you sat silently listening to the splashing of the sea as it lapped upon the side of a boat or the wind as it whispered quietly in your ear? When was the last time you felt totally and completely relaxed?
For me that was just last night but I so vividly remember a time in the not so distant past when I could not recall such peaceful moments quite so easily. No, in those days moments like this were extremely rare. In those days my life consisted of strict regiments, time constraints and “forced” relaxation. Yes, in those days I only thought I understood what “the good life” is all about.
Not so long ago I was certain I was happy and my life was amazing. Sure there were some areas that could have been better but I had a great job, close family and friends, a perfect home on the water and I lived in paradise on the west coast of Florida. Of course, my job was pretty stressful and consumed most of my life and I spent much of my “free time” doing chores, running errands and getting on with the business of mainstream life but, I was living “the good life”, right?
Oh how naive I was back then. Yep, I spent my entire adult life trying to get the better job 
and make more money so I could buy more stuff and take relaxing vacations. You know, I was chasing the proverbial carrot. After all, if I got that promotion and the salary that went with it then I’d be able to live in an even nicer place, drive a nicer car and take even better vacations. I would be truly successful and fulfilled. Sure, it might be a bit more stressful and consume more of my free time but it would be worth it, right? Isn’t that what life is all about? Isn’t that what everyone wants?
It wasn’t until I moved onto Dazzler that I realized I was one of “those” people. You know the ones, always trying for something more. Always thinking there had to be something better down the road. Always questioning why I didn’t have more no matter how hard I 
worked. That was me alright. I worked and worked but it was never enough. The funny thing about it is that I always saw myself as a very down to earth, simple gal. I mean, I lived a pretty low key life without all the frills but somewhere inside I always thought I had to do more, have more, be more. I never really felt like I met my full potential in work or in life; but all that changed when I met Dan and moved aboard Dazzler. That’s when I really learned how life is meant to be lived and what it means to be truly fulfilled. Yes, Dan taught me how to live “the good life.”
As I said when we started this blog in May, giving up everything you own is a very daunting experience. When you have to reduce 49 years of life down to a few duffel bags, you truly get a sense of what matters, at least when it comes to material things. But, it’s not until I started actually living a more simple life that I realized how much I gained in the process. Sure, I gave up “things” but today I’m happier and more fulfilled than I have ever been in my entire life! I’m not happier because I’m not working a full time, stressful job and living the mainstream life. I’m happier because living here has taught me what it means to truly stop, take it all in and appreciate the beauty of each day. Even when we are in all out project mode we stop and take it all in. And, I know what you’re thinking, “that’s easy when you are retired and living on a boat in paradise”, but you’d be surprised. Sometimes even here it’s hard to be stress free unless you make enjoying life a priority; then it makes all the difference. We really don’t sweat the small stuff!
I think as humans we’ve become so accustomed to fretting over each and every tiny detail that we’ve forgotten the pure joy and excitement that comes with the unknown and the unplanned. We’ve forgotten what it means to improvise, to think on our feet, to accept others for who they are, to do without and most importantly, to take care of our neighbors whether we know them or not. When you live like we do, you just don’t forget those things because you are forced to do them every single day and before long they become part of who you are as a person even if you weren’t that way when you got here.
After all, when you are making an overnight passage and your regulator stops functioning and you’re not generating power, you don’t have anyone else to depend upon but yourselves so you improvise, think on your feet and fix it. You do what has to be done with the limited resources at hand. We know. We’ve been there.
If a fellow boater is in distress it doesn’t matter whether they are Democrat or Republican, black, white or fuchsia pink; you stop and help even if you don’t know them. It’s what you do because we depend on each other out here, it’s the right thing to do and quite frankly it’s what we all used to do anyway, isn’t it?
You see, I have found that living with less makes people more grateful, more resourceful, more caring and far more relaxed. When you need less you have more time to enjoy what you do have and truly love. You don’t have to make time or try to find time because you aren’t spending every second working and saving for the dreams of tomorrow. You are actually living them, right now in this moment because, well, you can!
I’m not sure who said this but I recently read a quote that went something like this… “Don’t live the same year 75 years in a row and call it a life.” Hmmm. How many of us have been living the same day, week, month or year over and over like some bad scene out of Groundhog Day? How long are you willing to live the same day over and over just hoping and dreaming that one day it will be different? One day you’ll be retired and get to live “the good life”.
My advice…Don’t wait and definitely don’t let your daily routine rob you of the true joy of life. Life is far too short! Just figure out what truly makes you happy and do it! Go for it! Yes, there will be necessary sacrifices but it will be worth it. I promise! It won’t be long before you start to forget the sacrifices because you’ll be so happy and you will feel so incredibly amazing and fulfilled!
I hope you find whatever it is that truly makes you happy and you make it your priority sooner rather than later. As for me…I found “the good life” is the simple life here with Dan on Dazzler.
Until next time,
Jilly
lions (my favorite) from shore to shore, island to island. I even got the chance to get on a beach with them in Puerto Refugio. It wasn’t what Dan wanted because he was worried about my safety but he let me go there anyway. Note that I had to beg for days to make this happen and even then it was a struggle. But, Jungle Jilly must always be where the animals are and my Dan makes sure I never miss my chance. He even made certain I got to swim with one in Alacrán. It was one of the highlights of my summer.
for sure but I know my amazing guy is always making sure I get to see and experience every possible thing here. Sometimes I feel like Jacques Cousteau. I am an explorer and nothing is too strange or outrageous for me to see or experience. One of my favorite quotes by Cousteau is, “The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” This summer I truly began to understand the meaning and depth of these words on an entirely new level.
day my hair stands on end and I get so excited just thinking about it. It was certainly a “once in a lifetime” experience and one we will never forget. When you have an orca playing around your boat, in your wake and surfacing to blow its blowhole in your face…you know you are being blessed by the nature Gods! To say this was the most incredible wildlife moment of my summer and my life is an understatement! Even Dan was excited and can be heard screaming, “Oh my God” as one of the orcas surfaces beside Dazzler. It takes a lot to get Dan excited about something so this speaks volumes about how amazing this experience was for both of us.
Of course, I can’t talk about this summer without talking about how wonderful it’s been to be here, FINALLY, with Dan. I’ve 
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