This is what I wore on my 49th birthday. I remember surprising my crewmates and especially the captain. I was referred to as being a real Jeannie (from the bottle).
Welcome! I like to kick off this whole project with a happy picture that blew the minds - at least their faces- of the two other crew and especially the captain. It was my 49th birthday and as he said it "48 was great but 49 will be fine". I didn't really appreciate the downgrading of my new year ahead before it had already started but I didn't hold it against him.
"48 was great, 49 will be fine", he said.
FINE, to me, stands for Frustrated-Insecure-Neurotic-Emotional.. and as a matter of fact, that is what my 49th year on this planet turned out to be. I wish I had known then, I would definitely have prevented some stuff from happening. But, at least I didn't know that then yet, and so my birthday became a magical day where I could wear my beautiful beaded top and transparent blouse. Secretly tucked in my travel bag only for special occasions. Crew Cookie thought it was cool enough to take a photo shoot on the boat right there and then on the middle of the Indian Ocean, hence the lovely pictures of a happy me.
I calmed the sea down
The days prior to the 23rd of August were restless seas and haunting winds. We were being knocked around for a few days already and it was getting uncomfortable even on this fabulous catamaran. With my birthday coming up that was bothering me and so I was focussing on calming the sea down two days before already and although nobody believed me they did notice me. Like in a trance connection with the waves and the massive fluid below us and far, far around I was directing it with my mind to calm down. I used my hands with that too. like I was pushing the sea, the waves, back.
On the 22nd the captain joked at me that it was calming down but wasn't it a bit too soon? He didn't believe in my capacities and I didn't persuade him or the others to, because I was simply testing my capacities. Playing. Playing with imagination, as it turns out. You get to do weird things being days on end on the water. Who cares what you do? As long as you don't get bored and bother other crew with your boredom.
So I kept playing; calming down the waves. And it worked! The result came indeed sooner than I expected and so I replied to the captain, "How would I know I was this good at it?" And I just laughed. Of course, he just thought I was nuts. But what he thought wasn't of my concern. I was amazed at the feeling. Because this result and maintaining it requires a special state of being and a special sensation overcomes you. And I was more engaged with that.
I held this up for that day and the day after on the 23rd. We were able to actually walk around on deck, we caught the crazy amount of SIX fish that day!! Absolutely amazing -was that because the sea was calmer?!- and in the evening we had a fantastic pizza night. All in all, it was a superb day.
And believe it or not, I relaxed my 'hold on the sea' that night, only to find that the next day wind and waves had picked up and we were on a feisty stormy ocean worse than before. Like it was unleashed from having been held back. Well, thank you, Ocean! That to me is no coincidence.
