Sometimes it seems that Vince and I have been joined at the hip forever. But actually, despite spending a lifetime engaged in the same profession, we have both been acquiring knowledge and building experiences along two very different paths. While I was busy mastering the skills of an art critic, Vince was studying the stars and learning celestial navigation. While he worked with motors, I worked with clay. It has taken us each a lifetime to become what we are. I am not Vince and will never be anything like him or have any of the vast knowledge and experience that he has acquired while walking along his path. Nor do I want to be. And he can never be me.
When Vince built our boat and we both stepped aboard ready to sail away together, many people asked me if I could navigate or sail, or fix the engine? No, I can’t. Will I learn this stuff? No, I won’t. Do I feel guilty? No, I don’t. There are many men married to women who are afraid to sail away and unwilling to leave family, friends, and home. These poor souls either sail alone single-handed or give up on their dream. Vince is one of the lucky ones. Although I myself have no expertise, what I CAN offer is:
1. Companionship when he needs a friend.
2. An extra pair of hands
3. Hot food when he’s hungry
4. Someone to cuddle when it’s time for bed.
I have no intention of learning how to fix anything other than breakfast! My mind is already “super-saturated” with a ton of trivia accumulated over my own lifetime. If I pick up a few bits of crucial pieces of sailing information during this journey, OK. But I don’t want to “have-to” learn more. After 32 years “in harness” as a teacher, this old girl is “out to pasture” and she’s not going back into a classroom again!
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