The Mind Does Many Things At Two Am When The Winds Blowing

The mind does many things at two am when the winds blowing and a stormy, unpredictable night blankets the boat. The night sounds keep creeping in, a hinge of a door not closed tight, keeps squeaking a reminder, the wind is humming through the lashing on a fuel can, a bottle of wine is tapping the side of another, the one I earlier forgot to put away properly, monotonous sounds that at home would drive you crazy, sounds here that can comfort or do the same. I can hear the winds howling through the rigging, a light tap as the wiring moves in the mast. The boat swings 350 degrees, 010 degrees and tugs on the anchor just enough to keep you aware that at the end of that chain the anchor is your savior. The boat is constantly moving. In the dark, It always seems more ominous to me, even though the winds are beating at the same steady 22 to 30 knots and gusting high 30’s that they were at four O clock this afternoon. I wish I could describe the sound, the feeling, how fascinated I am and at the same time so respectfully fearful. 

So what is there to do at two am when you can’t sleep, but listen to the wind, keep vigil and think, and  thinking that can be a dangerous thing. I listened to the news with terror the other morning as a gunman opened fire at the Fort Lauderdale airport. My heart would always be sad, I would always have lifted a little prayer, but this was worse, one of my dearest friends was vacationing in Florida and I wasn’t sure where she was. Was she on her way home?  Where was she was flying out of? It made me think of how big this world is and yet how small. Having limited communication in a world, where in most cases you can be connected 24/7 can be a difficult norm. In a blow, in the night, even more so. 

I was thinking if we weren’t so connected, so global, so transient,  I wouldn’t know Sue from small town New Liskeard Northern Ontario. Right now I would know Mrs. Brown up island, dat way, with da three mangy kids. You know the one by the settlement, her oldest Billy likes to laugh and laugh, silly boy, ya know but just being near him makes you want to laugh right along and that husband hers, the lazy no good he likes the rum, it’s a miracle they got any thing to eat ya know tisk, tisk, tisk. But I don’t know Mrs Brown, I just hope to.  I know Sue, my friend 2312 Kms, just a crows flight away and am thankful for a 01:30 text durning a Northerly blow to tell me all is well and  she’s sending hugs.