Life is short...and long



A year ago I watched a documentary about an old Irish trawler boat captain and his crew of ragged men out on the wild North Atlantic Ocean. They were at the end of a treacherous four weeks at sea, desperate for a good catch to make their trip worthwhile. The old captain explained how it would break his heart to send his men home to their wives and children without pennies in their pockets.

As he hauled the boat's mighty nets out of the ocean for the final time to reveal only a handful of fish - not enough to even feed the crew for dinner - it became clear that heartbreak was inevitable. After expressing initial disappointment, the captain shrugged his shoulders and said:

"Ah, what can you do? Never mind, ey? I'm sure we'll do better next time. Life is long, my friend. Life is long"

I've always been a fond of the saying 'Life is short'. It encourages me to seize the day, to keep chasing my dreams, to hold myself accountable for how I spend each moment. But as another year draws to a close and I reflect on the things I wanted to achieve in 2014 but didn't quite manage to manifest (some health-related, some career-related, some superficial, some spiritual) I find myself repeating the old Irishman's catchphrase:

Life is long.

I feel calm when I say it. The words remind me that there is time. And that the things I long for will find their way into my fishing nets eventually.

I'm not sure what kind of year you've had, but if it has been one that has left you frustrated, or wondering how on earth you will shift the cloud of blue that hangs above your head, maybe you, like me, will find comfort in the words of the Captain:

Life is long.

As I signing off for 2014, I send you love and seafood and this song....

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