Ahoy

interj. ahoy: 1. nautical term used as a call to hail another ship. 2. meaning “to today” in Spanish

Last week, I watched an episode of “Bethenny Ever After.” It’s one of those shows on Bravo that’s both incredibly over-the-top yet strangely relatable in a way that I can’t quite describe…despite the fact that I have nothing in common with Bethenny (I’m not married with child nor did I create a wildly successful cocktail company).

At one point during the episode (detailing the “couple’s counseling” sailing trip that Bethenny and her husband embark upon to work on their marriage), their therapist says, “When you focus on one thing—whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing—you lose sight of the bigger picture and you go off-course.”

Now I’m not much of a sailor. Put me on a sailboat and I won’t have the first clue how to stay on-course. But I do know what the therapist means: focusing on the horizon is what makes for a good sailor…and a less stressful life.

“The eyes experience less stress when they can look upon a wider horizon.” –R.D. Chin

Ask yourself: Have you ever felt stressed at the beach, looking out at where the sea meets the sky? Probably not.

It’s incredibly easy to get caught up in the minutia of our day-to-day lives. I, too, occasionally allow that ONE THING to upset my entire day: that rude customer service rep, that traffic jam, that late fee, etc. I temporarily lose sight of the horizon and go off-course. And it often makes me feel [sea] sick. What brings me back to a sense of peace? Breathing and looking out there at what I can’t yet see.