06/20/2026
My inner child is smiling so big right now.
Adventurous, resilient, thrill-seeker, nature lover, silly and brave are all words I would proudly claim as part of my youth. This last week on the water reminded me just how much I miss those little pieces of me- those defining words of my own personal story and life. Not only did I get reacquainted with myself and those parts I miss so dearly, but I got to see them shine through in my own children, which was pretty damn magical.
Watching Cooper’s face light up at the sight of a sea turtle and riding the front of the boat like a roller coaster after spending the first 24 hours seasick and miserable was a lesson in resilience I don’t take lightly. The way Addie gravitates to the water, diving 15 feet for conch shells and sand dollars made this mama heart swell- I see so much of myself in her. And in his truest adrenaline j***y form, my risk taker Canan ate up every tube ride and knee board opportunity like it was his last, after sending flips off the boat whenever we anchored down for the day (he even talked me into a flip contest, which I clearly lost but don’t tell him that!). Seeing these parts of them blossom, each in their own individual way, meant more than I could have imagined.
It wasn’t alllll sunshine and rainbows. The 12 foot swells on our first big sailing day took out 5/9 people with seasickness, including crew members. The boys each ran into a patch of sea urchins one morning and landed a few spines lodged in their hands and feet that stuck around for a few days. And during the middle of the night in a torrential downpour, we woke up to a crash- an abandoned boat in the harbour came loose from its mooring, entangled with one of our lines, banging repeatedly up against our catamaran as we desperately worked to free it and protect our own boat right alongside our crew. The ghost pirate ship we named it affectionately. All of these tough moments ultimately proved to be bonding moments, and made the good times that much sweeter. Rainbows always come after storms, isn’t that the saying?
This trip was the adventure we didn’t know we needed. And my inner child is beaming. ✨
