I was about to graduate with a Masters' in social work and grew increasingly aware of economic disparity in our own neighborhood. Stephen was working in land acquisitions and began to wonder how the company he worked for could continue to grow while operating in the red. We all drank the Kool Aid for a little while, but it became hard to ignore the signs that the lifestyle many Americans became accustomed to was about to end.
For us, this end became a new beginning. In many ways, we felt trapped in our previous comforts by the proverbial golden handcuffs. Our jobs paid well but became more dissatisfying with every promotion. Each step up the ladder seemed to be one step closer to the door. We went from the front lines, where we produced tangible things to middle management where we questioned each day what exactly it was we were supposed to be doing. Yet we felt our options were limited. In order to maintain the assets we had little time to enjoy, we would need to maintain our current income. Making a career change to do something more satisfying seemed risky and waiting for retirement seemed like a dismal promise.
Suddenly, a lightbulb came on. "Who says we have to keep doing this?" You know....keeping up with the Jones's. Who says we have to maintain these assets, this lifestyle? Who says we have to start a family right now? We wrote a pros and cons list of remaining on our current path versus selling everything we owned to pursue our retirement dreams before they slipped away. We did the math, and if we traded it all in, we could go sail off into the sunset for a few years.
And that is just what we did. We were fortunate that time was still on our side and we were able to sell off our assets: two homes, two cars and a bunch of other stuff that you can't take with you. Being tuned into the bigger picture and the timing of life's meaningful coincidences is what Synchronicity is all about. It is the story of our life together, and the perfect name for our vessel. This blog contains snapshots of our journey from 2008, when we first ventured out of the Chesapeake Bay, to Summer 2011, when Synchronicity completed her Caribbean circumnavigation and returned to Maryland.
I published a handful of articles in Blue Water Sailing Magazine and am now in the process of writing the book, to chronicle the full picture of our journey. There were many adventures, struggles and valuable lessons that helped us grow as individuals and as a couple. While I am still grieving the end of this chapter, I come to realize that in many ways it was only the beginning of a new way of life for us. Stay tuned for Sailing Synchronicity and links to the articles.
