Some times in our lives, we all have pain,

we all have sorrow, but if we are wise

we know that there’s always tomorrow… The words of this Bill Withers song come to mind, as I think of the many beautiful people in this world who so readily, and unselfishly offer their support to those around them.  These folks certainly deserve an Incredible Human Being Award.
Tom and I had the pleasure of meeting, such a true gentleman and his lovely wife this weekend.   I won’t give their names, since I did not ask their permission before they left to return to their Florida home.  Just after taking shelter in our marina, from the forecasted heavy winds, we tied up Southern Trawl, and said hello to our dock neighbor. This man, (Let’s call him John) and his cute little Jack Russell terrier, greeted us from their boat, a couple of slips down. It was immediately recognizable that John was outgoing, personable, had a large well maintained sports fishing boat, and enjoyed the soft country music that was coming from his beautiful boat’s speakers.  After chatting for a few minutes, we noticed John’s wife (we’ll call her Jane) sitting in a chair, just beyond the boat on the dock, enjoying the cool afternoon sun, and gentle breezes as the storm had not yet arrived.  Upon second glance we noticed that Jane’s chair was actually a wheel chair. She had a long soft strap wrapped around her upper body to hold her upright, her wide brimmed shaded her face, and her hands laid slightly bent and unmoving in her lap. She was obviously in the advanced stages of a debilitating medical condition.   We chatted for a while with John, commenting on his wonderful choice of music, and explaining where Robert Earl had gotten his name.
As we went about our business over the weekend, we had the opportunity to visit a bit more  with John, and would see him occasionally emerge from their boat to take his dog for a walk, or to take himself for a ride in a small outboard motor boat.

John and Jane’s boat had been thoughtfully and professionally modified and enhanced to accommodate Jane’s condition. An additional boom had been installed to hoist her, and her specially adapted chair on and off the boat. A ramp had been installed to make it possible to wheel her in and out of the main cabin, and onto the cockpit. We did not go inside, but I feel sure there were many other adaptations to make their life workable.
While chatting with Tom, John told him that they had been flying in from Florida to this spot almost every weekend for the past 8 years. He said Jane  used to really enjoy coming, and the boating life.  He said he’s not really sure if she enjoys this anymore, but he refuses to leave her behind, and provides her with what he feels might offer some enjoyment, fresh air and beautiful surroundings.
I can’t help but think of the many many paths of least resistance that John could have taken along this journey of his life. He has shined the light for us, on what it means to maintain a positive outlook in the midst of challenges.
Another example of his capacity for concern for others came yesterday afternoon. I had decided to go ashore, but the wind was blowing the boat a bit too far from the dock for me to comfortably and safely step across. I called to Tom, in through our open windows, to please come help me pull the boat closer to the dock. Even before Tom could make it out of the boat, John heard my request, looked up, saw my hesitation, and came running over to lend me a hand by pulling me safely over the open space.
Tom and I have reflected on what an amazingly nice guy John is, and how he exemplifies courage, compassion, zeal and a zest for life. Later as I stepped into our tiny boat shower, instead of feeling frustrated  when I bumped my knee or elbow, or the water temperature regulator was mixing perfectly, I thanked the Good Lord for my health, and the fact that I am able to climb in and out of the shower. The few extra pounds I’m carrying are proof that I can cook, feed myself, and enjoy delicious foods.
I’d like to close with a couple of quotes from a most amazing book I have just completed. 

“When Breath Becomes Air” by Paul Kalanthi

“Science may provide the most useful way to organize empirical, reproducible data, but its power to do so is predicated on its inability to grasp the most central aspects of human life: hope, fear, love, hate, beauty, envy, honor, weakness, striving, suffering, virtue.” “No system of thought can contain the wholeness of the human experience”

“Human knowledge is never contained in one person. It grows from the relationships we create between each other and the world, and still it is never complete. And Truth comes somewhere above them all.”

Excerpt From
When Breath Becomes Air
Paul Kalanithi
https://books.apple.com/

us/book/when-breath-becomes-air/id1013562747
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