Splashing through a week of weather

I think that the advice is ‘always keep the horizon in sight during rough crossings’.  A group of us took shelter near the front of the Dover ferry and tried to anticipate the most photogenic waves (harder than it seems) – taking photos together made the crossing a bit more congenial and exciting.

And, anyway, a good chance to play with burst capture and making animated GIF’s.

I arrived back in the UK Tuesday, one of my typical crack-of-dawn ferries, then made my way back up to Cambridge to give the annual Fireside chat.  My MBE MPhil year encouraged me to leave Corporate and become an entrepreneur, and I  always look forward to returning to share experiences, give encouragement, and offer some resources to others considering the jump.  It’s also an annual opportunity to reflect on the year since the last lecture.

I invariably find new lessons to be learned.

2013 was certainly a year for that, teaching resilience, persistence, endurance, if nothing else.  It was challenging for me to go back through the chronology of issues raised and met, personal and professional, then to try to summarize events dispassionately for the class.  (When asked what one superpower I’d most like to have, it is Super Do-Over…).

There’s a lot to be proud of, breakthroughs and insights that came from hard work and dedication by a lot of good people. 

And I believe that life serves up the experiences, people, and opportunities that I am meant to have for each phase of the journey...we will get there.

It was good to get back to Sandbanks afterward: I think that I ‘m still pushed away by too many difficult feelings, pulled in by  the seaside solitude.  I’ve been taking coffee with friends alongside the winter surf ,  sorting work and catching up with errands, getting back into the daily routines and fitfully full night’s sleep. 

Is the disquiet a good thing?  The Shrink and Sage column in the FT recently asked “Can we be both content and motivated?” 

The Shrink saw the gap between “Where we are” and “Where we want to be” as motivating and healthy, so long as there wasn’t only dissatisfaction without appreciation of what’s good in the present, pursuit of an endless series of goals, or unfocused escape without any perspective on consequences to self or others. 

The Sage argued for the necessity of contentment and dissatisfaction in simple proportion: that we never be satisfied with unfulfilled promise, injustice, or preventable suffering.  Especially when change is in our power.

Storms have been blowing in regularly, dark waves and rain framing a sliver of sunlit sky along the horizon each morning and evening.

 

The next gale hit as the weekend began, waves cresting the seawall again and sand drifting between the kiosks.  Its not really biting cold air, just blustery and stinging cold water.  Overall, a good time to head to London for a run at museums and dinners.

Okay, one last animated GIF…