As the thunder and lightning rolls into Boise tonight, I cannot help but think of the post I just read from Jessica Watson. Solo aboard Pink Lady, her small sailboat, Jessica is in the final weeks of a single handed circumnavigation of the globe. Amazing enough all by itself, but Jessica is just sixteen years old! I have contemplated a post about Jessica for months, unable to come to any conclusion, or even comprehension, worth sharing. Now I feel compelled to call attention to her tremendous struggle and achievement.
Most do not know what the Southern Ocean is, have not read the tales of Chichester, Slocum and Graham. FYI Jessica is entering herself into a proud and hallowed tradition, that of the Solo Sailor. If the Solo Sailor tradition stands for anything, it stands for fortitude. I reflect this evening that when life gets tough it is hard to know if we are hanging on too long or not long enough. Maybe there is no difference. Strong souls hang on. And it always seems like the end of such efforts are the hardest.
It is quite clear to me that as Jessica faces the moving mountains of the Southern Ocean in the final weeks of her circumnavigation, we all need to prepare for her arrival. The world will be different when she does. I say this because Jessica is yet another example of how amazing women are every day stretching the definition of what it is to be a woman. My daughters will have more opportunity, a better life, as a result of people like Jessica Watson. Great job Jessica!
