Anna, you are a free soul, and I wish I were more like you. You are beautiful and liberated, and you live life like a boat that sails through the immensity of the ocean without the duty to reach port. But you don’t sail aimlessly, or without coordinates; on the contrary. Your rowing is solid and intense; it hears the sound of the wind and the strong beat of a heart that cries out, “turn to starboard!” And then you grasp the helm with the palms of your hands and turn it completely. Without hesitation. Without the tremor of those who fear regretting the decision made, without the dread of a misstep.
Other sailors throw themselves into the ocean as if they were navigating a river. They chart their course on the map and calculate the most efficient way to reach the next port. Superfluous stops will not be tolerated! Sail on, sailors. Sail from port to port until you anchor at your final destination. Before turning thirty. There’s no time to lose, no resources to waste. Ignore the baldness, ignore the gray hairs and the extra pounds. No, there’s no time to get to visit the town. Sleep early, wake early, eat on the ship because it’s leaving tomorrow morning, even before the sun rises, it must depart for the next landmark. But captain, what about the corals? Forget the corals! But captain, what about the rest of the ocean? And all the other islands? And all the other legends? And the mermaids, and the stars, and the seas, the seas, captain?! Forget everything! Sail as if the ocean were a river, and row, row, spot the next port on the horizon and row before the other boats dock.
But not you, Anna. You appreciate the constellations every dark night; the different phases of the moon bathe your colorful hair, and the immensity of the ocean accompanies you. You are not ashamed to take longer to reach a port, or simply to follow the coast. And if you spot an island that sparks your curiosity, you are filled with the courage and strength needed to redirect the sails and explore any, any island, any continent.
But you don’t sail aimlessly either. Unlike what some ill-wishers say, imprisoned spirits who envy your fluidity, you know exactly where you want to go, and every stroke of your oar is a reaffirmation that this is where you are headed, here and now. You do not give up being for the sake of becoming. And your becoming is your being, because you understood that the present moment only exists if in communion with the future, and that roads were made for journeys and not for destinations, you understood that the important thing is to appreciate the process, and that the act of sailing only becomes complete when you sail to get to know the ocean and not just to successfully anchor in some port. You understood that stops on the continent happen when and for as long as needed. Without haste. And that is why you know all the corals and all the songs that people sing in the center of the villages. And that is why you have tasted all the flavors of the world and have heard the cry of children who cannot speak and have kissed the mouths of women who wear large earrings and play the fife.
Anna, please, teach me to be free like you.
I am ready.
