What a great day to be out on the deck! Actually it’s overcast with 100 percent chance of rain and a prediction of gale force winds. The guy next door is running a loud generator. Occasionally a sea turtle, laughing gull, or a dinghy will pass by. (The dinghy usually has a dog that looks desperately in need of a walk.) For the past few hours I’ve been using a sponge to scrub rust off the metal work.
Sailors with water makers can wash the salt water off their boats each day. We don’t have a water maker. The salt stays on deck, putting a coat of rust on everything, including ‘stainless’ steel. Luckily most of the rust can be scrubbed off with a few hundred strokes.
It’s satisfying work for me. I’ve always been too busy to take the time to do a thorough job. But for the past week we have settled into boat-cleaning mode in anticipation of having company. And after a couple hours of scrubbing the grunge off a spigot or something I will look up surprised to see how much time has passed. And Wow. I can actually put a shine on whatever I was working on.
Back in the corporate world everything was complicated. Over my career I supported IT projects of all sizes working in all types of roles, including management. There were always factors beyond my control, priorities to juggle, and compromises to make. Even when a deadline was met, I knew there were flaws in what was just delivered.
So, for now, I’m just enjoying getting the boat clean, one complete task at a time. In the future come look for me somewhere, anywhere, in the West Indies. I’ll be the guy with a uke in his backpack and a cardboard sign that reads ‘will pOlisH BrightworK for BEER’.
