Apparent Wind
I remember when I went sailing with Matt last summer, he seemed a little bummed as we were heading back to the dock. I was happy, because we were moving quite well. He commented that the wind had died. We were on a run, and yes, the wind wasn’t that strong, but I honestly don’t think it had changed much from when we had been headed upwind.
Apparent wind. I’m sure someone has written about this before, so I’m not making any revelations here. There are some people who love the struggle and the strife. Without that struggle, they lose their drive.
People who slack off till the last minute, and then make that final rush to cram for a test or finish a project, need that upwind tacking back and forth. It’s what gets their adrenaline going.
Going downwind. It doesn’t require much effort other than making sure the boat doesn’t do an accidental gibe. The apparent wind can sometimes virtually stop, making you feel as though it has died. But you’re moving. It’s just not as exciting. Unless the wind is taking you where you want to go.
Sometimes in my life, I’ve been so absorbed in the frantic rush of doing, I’ve forgotten that the wind can also take me downwind, the way I want to go.
And thus, my rant on how I forgot to use 5 of my 15 days of vacation this year.
| “I believe that the actions an individual takes matter. The efforts each of us expends effects the course of our life, and that of others. Your brief passage through this sphere, like apparent wind is the sum of external events and the choices you make.”
– Mark Rosenstein, on the subject of apparent wind |
