The founder of my alma mater, Mary Lyon, told her students, "Go where no one else will go. Do what no one else will do."
Following her advice the last few weeks has brought me waves of overwhelming feelings. I feel both a single-minded sense of purpose about sailing with Zia across the Pacific to Hawaii, and constantly distracted and anxious about all that there is to do to get the boat ready and keep up with the people I care about here. Sometimes I'm frustrated (usually by how long a boat project is taking), or full of angst to get going, or isolated (even when I'm around others), as I think about what I'm doing and what it requires of me. Looking at my friends here, I feel such sadness about saying goodbye to them, but also a hope that I'll be a stronger person when we meet again in Hawaii or beyond.
If you talk to me, ask me how I'm feeling? And then give me a hug. When I'm in the middle of the Pacific in a couple weeks, I know I'll miss those.