Rug Overboard!

We lost a rug…. How do you lose a rug, you ask?… Well, when you live on a sailboat, it's actually not that hard. Stephen hung it over the lifeline with a clothespin to dry off. Later that day, we noticed it was gone. There was an inquiry, from within (did I actually clip it on?)…and from outside sources who actually purchased the rug in a remote place where buying rugs is not easy or cheap, and I was able to find the “perfect” rug in the “perfect” color for that space. Needless to say, it was a sad moment for all. Days go by and we spend the time slipping on the wet surface where the rug once soaked up our dripping bodies, tripping over the extension cord it had come to hide… every day a reminder of what was lost….Today, however, a miracle happened!

Anna was snorkelling and after a sad realization, she did not in fact discover the first red Moroccan trellis pattern stingray cried out to all on the boat, “Did we lose our rug?”. I was inside and thought I heard “rod” so I quickly lost interest…but as the excitement on deck grew, I realized it was in fact OUR rug…hanging out on the ocean floor, feet from our boat. We had moved a couple of times since we lost the rug, adjusting our anchor that had been dragging, but it was right there! Anna dove like a seasoned pro and recovered it from the sandy sea floor. It was a beautiful moment seeing it being saved from its fate to once again serve its purpose on our vessel. SHE was home. Stephen gave her a good wash, and she is currently basking in the sun. I will never again take her for granted, her purpose, her loyalty, her everyday presence in our lives.  

Sometimes we need to lose what we take for granted to truly appreciate it. I’ve realized this with a lot of things on the boat, water, electricity, my sanity :) I have been fortunate not to have had to go without much in my life – certainly not things that matter or are life-sustaining. My kids have also never had to worry about anything either. We take a lot for granted…if this had happened back home, I would have just gone out (ok, who are we kidding) I would have pushed “add to cart” and had a new rug delivered the next day. Here in Grenada, this rug could not have been replaced easily, and it would have been inconvenient, but of course not life-altering. But things like water and electricity that we struggle to maintain a balance on every day are. I never thought I would hear my kids say, “Do we have enough water for a shower?” They now shower by turning the water off and on while they put on shampoo, very conscious of their consumption. Anna said early on she felt so guilty for how much she used to waste just standing there putting on shampoo. I think (well, I hope) this will change their lives, make them think about how much they are consuming on this earth, what is actually needed in any given situation and to want or crave “excess” of everything. I know for me, it has broken a cycle of consumerism that I have struggled with for years.  Do I have my Amazon cart full of things we need on the boat to bring back.. Absolutely! But it is a rational thought-out, revised a thousand times, with a budget in mind, list of essentials (and a few pretty things). There are things I will leave on the boat when we eventually sell her, but our rug that found its way back to us will come with us and find a place in our home. Forever a reminder of being grateful for the little things. - Carla