New Year’s Resolutions are not a big thing with me. In fact, my normal resolution is “Don’t make any resolutions”. This year I’m actually going to try and stick to those listed here — they came from my favorite writer “Fatty Goodlander” in one of my favorite sailing magazines.
Fatty has been living aboard a sailboat for 52 years and has circumnavigated the globe twice on his boat. He’s seen things I can’t even imagine. He’s truly a world citizen with an understanding that wouldn’t hurt some of our so called leaders. Capt. Fatty frequently talks about the fact that when you’re out there on the ocean everything that happens is your fault and that’s one of the things he loves about his life. It occurs to me that ain’t so different from running your own small business.
Whatever happens at Country’s is my fault. If we make a sandwich wrong or if we’re rude to a guest — it’s my fault. If we’re late to a cater or if the food’s not up to par — it’s my fault. All that stuff is my fault but you know what — I love it. You never know what’s going to happen during a day in the restaurant. Nothing feels better than having a guest tell you how much they love Country’s and nothing hurts worst than the opposite.
BACK TO SAILING — I’ve been sailing most of my life but never like Fatty. I’ve raced boats on lakes, cruised on the ICW, sailed up and down the coast and a few open ocean passages. For me there’s nothing like sailing — the feeling you get when you shut down the engine and the power of the wind surges you forward is like no other. I’ve been on the ocean in the middle of the night when the dolphins are dancing through the water and leaving sparkling trails of bioluminescence and I’ve been on the ocean in huge waves hanging my head over the side leaving my own trails of Jimboluminescence and wishing I could just die — love it both ways!
Truthfully I’ve never met a sailor I didn’t like or at least have some respect for. Most seem to have some understanding of life that goes beyond the norm. Anyway, like I said Capt. Fatty Goodlander is one of my favorites to read. His list of resolutions are like looking into my soul and I think I’m going to try and follow them in 2012 — what the heck else I got to do?