Boats and hugs

I write this after have made a late-Winter trip to check on Arcturus. Mainly, it’s to check on the tarps that protect her from worst of the winter weather. This Winter the winds have been strong, so I’ve had to re-set some of plastic pipe framework we use that gives our boat a Conestoga wagon appearance.

I borrowed a borescope camera from the public library and took a look around the icebox that’s on board. I had a suspicious that the insulation wasn’t very good, as we’ve seen packing peanuts end up in a locker and near the bilge. I though I must have spilled some out of a shipping box, but I’d clean them up, and a couple of weeks later they would come back. The camera barely entered the space around the ice box when I ran into the packing peanuts. They probably would be better than nothing if it wasn’t for the uneven distribution, and the lack of anything to trap air around the peanuts.

I started to remove them. One trash bag (wastebasket sized), two, and then I half filled the locker space near the icebox. I gave up the proceedings, and vowed to return with a big shopvac for more progress and less work. I took out three bags today, and I estimate at least another three. I’ll figure out a method to get better access and install some poly-iso foam boards in place of the peanuts. This will all be sealed up with spray foam and tape where needed.

And it’s March. On my mind is an anniversary of restarting therapy two years ago. It has been two years of attaining most of the goals that I set for myself. Two years of taking much better care of myself. Two years of building up better boundaries for myself. Looking back, I can see how low I was, and how close I was to disaster. And sitting here, two years on, I feel pretty good. I might always need medications to get my brain chemistry into the healthy zone. I don’t expect to end therapy anytime soon, but I can imagine stretching out the time between sessions. I believe I am going to make it.

I’m also thinking of friend that is looking for a therapist, and all that that entails. When you start therapy, you feel pretty much like shit. And the progress seems really slow at first. I think I’ve written about the sudden realizations when I’ve felt better. If you know someone that is in therapy right now, would you tell them how strong and courageous they are? Tell them how much they are loved. It means a lot. And ask them if they would accept a hug. You might tell them about a hugging meditation from Plum Village https://plumvillage.org/mindfulness-practice/hugging-meditation/ that you learned about.

Spring for us northern hemisphere folk is less than two weeks away. You can make it. I can make it.

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