top of page

Aannsha’s Blog #51 – Sweating the small stuff

My world feels very small at the moment. Which is odd considering I live on a yacht that has access to the world’s oceans.

It seems though, that it doesn’t matter how far I’m theoretically able to travel around the globe, it is life’s minutiae that keep me focused on the small stuff.

Take hand laundry for instance, it took me all morning to accomplish and while washing our tees, shorts and smalls did run well through my coffee break and into a late lunch, I’m actually not complaining. Because for the first time in six weeks since I fractured my wrist, I actually managed to wash and hand squeeze it all myself. Yes, I had my wrist brace on, and yes, that was covered with a blue disposable glove so my right arm looked as if it belonged to a cyborg that had stepped straight out of a B-grade 1970s space adventure movie. I also used the shower hand rail to assist in the squeezing. But, hey, despite my right hand aching for the rest of the day, I was very happy with my accomplishment and Baz and I now have a choice of clean clothes to wear again.

Last week when I took off the splint, I was a bit concerned at how my hand and wrist looked and felt – all shrivelled and stiff. After talking to Auntie Google, I found a couple of videos outlining exercises for people recovering from broken wrists, so when I’m not giving my hand a ‘boat chores workout’, I’m doing these wrist workouts daily. I also found a little stress ball in a local supermarket, so that gets a squeeze every now and then. It’s all about re-building withered muscles, freeing up the ligaments and getting the wrist mobile again. One week on, I do feel more confident that the whole hand situation is improving, and the best I can do for it is strengthening exercises, and rest, time in the wrist brace, and time au naturel.

Squeezing the ball for strength!

Baz has copped a bit of a verbal biting a few times lately too. Nothing too bad (imho), but it has been noted that I’ve been a bit prickly. I put it down to lots of little things over and above the wrist – all first world problems (FWPs) too in the overall scheme of things – but being human, even while counting my blessings daily, I do succumb to sweating the small stuff occasionally.

Things that have added up for me included still not receiving my phone (although I’d come to the conclusion I could sit with the financial bottom line of a new Samsung Galaxy if it was lost in the mail). It turns out that the poor phone guy’s mum passed away last week and he didn’t get round to mailing it. He is sending it out today. I’m so glad we didn’t pester the poor fellow and feel relieved that I didn’t send out any mental bad vibes his way in my impatience. I now silently wish him heartfelt condolences for his loss.

Another factor that I’ve realised has got to me lately is that at anchor, I’m not able to just step off the boat and go for a walk. Friends will know how much of a land lover (tree hugger) I am, and will probably understand how I miss easy access to terra firma and nature. Walking has also been a moving form of meditation and also a way to stay fit. So, while I do love the water and very much enjoy being on our boat - especially in the beautiful location we’re enjoying at the moment near Kaş marina - I do get stir crazy if I don’t get my feet on the ground for longer than it takes to have a toilet break in the nearby shower block. I can see the rolling hills and hear the chirping birds that are so close and I want to be among them.

I used to take walking in nature for granted. And while it still doesn’t really involve too much more than stepping out of the front door, sometimes when I’m wanting a walk to mentally relax, it does seem too complicated.

The trip from boat to shore involves organising lots of little things first, like gathering correct bag/s, shoes, and camera/s, then taking the dinghy and finding a place to moor. The good part is that, now my wrist is operational and we’ve had our outboard engine serviced, I can start her up with an easy pull of a cord instead of bothering Baz each time I want to go to land. And, at the moment, we are fortunate that we can tie up to our friend’s boat, but sometimes I don’t want to intrude on their privacy by stepping through their boat to get to shore.

Also sometimes, I don’t want to talk to anyone.

Sometimes, I just want to walk in nature. Pure and simple.

FWP, I know.

And as I write this, I realise that the obstacles to going for a walk are more of an internal thing with me, rather than being major practical hindrances, but on some days honestly, especially when I need to walk to get my mojo back, it really does feel like an effort to just go for a walk.

But enough of my whining.

The upside to this particular FWP is that over the next week or so, Baz and I will be moving A B Sea around the promontory to Kaş harbour, where we have arranged to moor over winter. We will be moored to the harbour dock, in easy reach of toilets, with water and electricity available if need be. And best of all, I’ll be able to hop on and off the boat to my heart’s content whenever I want to.

I’m dreaming of all of the little cobbled town streets I’ll explore, discovering the amphitheatre, finding a sheltered spot by a tree and meditating in nature. The bonuses are filling my heart with anticipation as I write! Another bonus is that I will get more exercise on a daily basis, because at the moment, I hate to think how few steps I’m doing and quite glad I don’t have a FitBit to growl at me!

Yes, the biggest plus, along with the obvious of walking will include improved fitness, better digestion, greater wellbeing, and sense of calm (and fewer prickles). All from walking on land.

Lucky me. And lucky Baz!

I love autumn colours

Link to Aannsha’s next blog

bottom of page