Pretty epic day today in Panama.
We had the Naylamp, our friend Captain Dan’s trimaran, all to ourselves and did we ever take advantage.
We wasted away the day cruising the waters around Isla Colon.
Starfish the size of small children.
Snorkeling with “wings”.
Fruity tourist drinks in rum filled pineapples.
The works.
On the way back into port, Dan told me that he’s going to start offering more boat rentals and less tours.
Why?, I asked.
“The people.”, he said.
Wow.
Here is a guy from Peru who built a sailboat in SoCal, moved to Panamanian paradise 16 years ago, and gets paid to sail around the tropics, meet up with friends on different islands, eat lunch with an ocean view every day and by all counts does what he loves.
Yet, still, the people he has to deal with (thoughtless tourists who are “owed” something and can treat anyone with whom they are sharing their nickels any way they choose in this case) make him want to change course. Sound familiar?
Interesting isn’t it?
Another day in paradise? Sounds like different toilet, same shit, to me…
The moral of the story is any time you’re willing to put yourself out there to the public, whether you’re a sailboat captain or a contractor – there are going to be people who don’t like what you’re doing. Always.
There are going to be people who are assholes. Always.
Think about that before taking the next leap in an effort to avoid them.
The grass is, almost always, not greener.
See you on the journey…