I have to admit to this. I can’t remember the last time I was this smitten with a bike. It’s a lively ride for sure and that new wheelset is spot on. The handling is twitchy, fast, and responsive. The brakes just work and the saddle is surprisingly comfortable, it’s only 9 grams heavier than my much loved Selle Italia. I’ve put quite a few miles on my Bromptons as the journeys add up. I get attached to things. One of the selling points of the new boat was the purple Le Creuset kettle. I didn’t ask for it to be included but I secretly hoped it would be. I spent every penny in my budget on this boat and she will slowly be appointed with the finest of everything. I guess I do the same for boat and bike. I don’t have much, but the few possessions I do add much value to my life.
There’s more to it than this but the short story is I want a yacht down to the smallest details. Kimmi is a gourmet chef and she’s in the process of equipping a gourmet galley. She does the cooking, I do the bikes, we split the boat work. I’m trying as hard as I can to keep the boat and our boat lives private but there is so much I want to share about Ooku. She took me almost exactly 35 years to acquire after that first chance meeting. Personally, we don’t do time payments or being saddled under a mortgage, car payments, multiples of insurance, maintenance… I guess for now the boat makes more sense than a house…the bike makes more sense than a car. Simply put, we own almost nothing and we are happy and free.
We aren’t doing anything special, just following the simple things that add value and peace to our lives. It’s not a long ride to farm fresh eggs but it makes my morning complete. Sipping on hot coffee, a pink nose and the feeling of numb tingling fingers. Wringing them warm to the sound of sizzling eggs. When I got the Rona I lost my sense of smell. While it can be odd at times, it’s mostly come back. These simple pleasures start my day. Exercise, food, a bit of self-indulged pampering and it’s off to the boat to work on her wood. The rhythmic sounds of my sanding block are hypnotic. I don’t waste my time trying to explain it but there is a zen in a finely kept yacht. Just like my bike which is in perfect tune. Not by accident but by deliberate intention. There is the human element to this as well. The calm smile on Kim-Chi tells the same story. She knows I have her back. She will never have to worry about a thing as long as I’m still breathing in the privilege of life.
We tease about it a lot but we have chosen the good life. The easy life, the one with the least distractions. My life is calm and quiet today but a nuclear explosion of change is on the horizon. The world is going batshit crazy and it will get worse for at least a full generation. We’re prepared and will move on at the flip of a coin. Remember this simple childhood wisdom: Row row row your boat, gently down the stream...
Sailing Sexy 