“A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for.” – William G. T. Shedd

Photo Credit: Krista

Turning points and crossroads. How have these affected your life? It is said that life is a journey so one would expect the road to have turning points and crossroads. Some of these are naturally occurring, such as moving on in school from one grade level to the next, while others may not be fully realized without some reflection. In our everyday lives we see many images and experience many things – at times these interactions become metaphors for our own lives.

A few years ago I decided to move to San Diego so my husband and I could be together full-time – up until that point in 2012 we had been a “commuter relationship” for nearly seven years. Moving meant selling my home and retiring from my job. I knew at the time this move was like a ship leaving a safe harbor, but I knew in my heart that I needed to be in San Diego – I had a home and family waiting for me there and I would figure out a job and the other details in due course.

Near our home in San Diego is a great reclaimed space called Liberty Station and it has become my favorite place to walk/run – especially when I’m training for half marathon events. From this location, I’m able to do my “distance training” of 6 to 13 miles along the harbor and toward downtown with beautiful scenery and without too much road traffic. From 2012 until recently in 2015, part of this path went right past the San Salvador replica ship building site on Spanish Landing.

She’s getting close to being finished — December 2014 | Photo Credit: Krista

Most people don’t get the opportunity to witness a replica of a tall ship being painstakingly built from the ground up. At first it was simply a frame with scaffolding and then a hull taking shape. Month by month more of the ship was completed and in late 2014 the scaffolding was removed. The mast was ready and waiting to be hoisted into position. During the first half of 2015 the final steps of building the San Salvador were completed – including the rigging – and plans were made to put her into the water which happened in mid-July.

It’s moving day for the San Salvador! July 2015 | Photo Credit: Krista

Over the past 3 years I got to watch this feat of ship building unfold and we will see the culmination on Friday. The San Salvador will make her official debut this coming Labor Day weekend at the San Diego Maritime Museum’s Festival of Sail.

Now that the San Salvador is completed and has left its building site, I have realized that this experience of watching her be built has become a metaphor for the first three years that I’ve lived in San Diego. Moving was a recent turning point in my life and here’s what I learned from watching this beautiful ship be built:

• Explore – Be open to new experiences.
• Dream – Believe in yourself and dream big!
• Discover – Cherish each day and live with intention.
• Patience and perseverance will pay off.
• All hands on deck! It takes a team of people to create a masterpiece.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

Question: What turning points have defined your life? What crossroads have you faced? How have these experiences affected you?

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