Other people inspire me. I like the idea of
surrounding oneself with people who inspire you in some way, may they be
like-minded or very different- inspiration and creativity via osmosis!
The very same friend who inspired me to start this
blog has yet again inspired me to return from my unintentional hiatus.
She's also inspired the topic of Perspective.
We've all got one and we all see things differently
depending on our points of view. What I firmly believe is that seeing something
through someone else's perspective is what actually teaches us and gives us
understanding. Again, like a lot of the topics I write about- it's not rocket
science and yet it's a lesson that gets repeated over and over again. It's also
a lesson that you need to learn all by yourself.
I am part of the sailing community. My involvement
in this community is, to a great extent, why my family and I live and
experience the life we do.
My particular point is in reference to the Americas
Cup, the 34th of which was held in San Francisco in September. Team New Zealand
and Oracle Team USA battled it out on San Francisco Bay in what turned out to
be the most spectacular yacht racing the world has ever seen, (for those in the
world that were paying attention).
We have not been part of the 34th Americas Cup, and
we weren't part of the 33rd either, yet even being on the fringe of an event
such as this has an impact. Directly involved or not, the impact is felt and
felt very differently depending on… your perspective.
We have so many friends who worked for Oracle, in
every facet of the team- rigging, design, race crew, sail makers and
management. YET, I found myself hoping Team NZ would win. I find myself
hesitating at this point, not wanting to offend anyone, not wanting to let some
very dear friends down, not wanting to upset anybody.
One thing you learn when you are involved in an
Americas Cup, no matter what your perspective, is that it is a lot more than a
boat race. It becomes your life. You make a choice to be involved and then it
will dictate your life for the duration of the event and beyond.
There were more Aussies on board the boat than any
other nation and as always the Aussie/Kiwi rivalry is always a factor. Yet
still I found myself willing the Kiwis to… please…win…that…one…last…race.
To my Oracle friends who may be reading this and
have now stopped, please don't. I just want to explain it through my eyes.
You see right now, I'm struggling with the decision
to stay in Spain or return to Australia. It's not a new struggle by any means
and it's not simply my decision to make. The pros and cons for either options-
staying or going are many and varied. My rationale, (and it wasn't till
afterward I realized just what an emotional stake I'd placed in all this), was
that if Team NZ won, the likely hood of us being involved in a Cup again, was
greater. The decision to move wouldn't be one we'd have to make,
it'd be made for us and it would simply be a case of deciding when.
Then there's the fact that in the grand scheme of
the world, Auckland's much closer to Australia than our current location. I'm
feeling the need to be with my family more than every few years!
Despite my reference to the rivalry between NZ and
Australia, our mentalities are generally very similar compared to Spain. These
fundamental differences, for example, how long children are at school each day,
medical opinions, food choices for kids and the general timetable here, are
issues that have been highlighted since returning from our trip around Canada
and the US.
We also have a piece of property in Auckland that
might have benefitted very nicely from the Cup returning to the City of Sails.
There was an image I’d created about being able to
easily hang out with two of my favourite people in the world who are Aucklanders.
I was already swimming at the Tepid Baths again,
(sporting facility in the heart of Auckland where I did all my swim training
when we lived there 2001-2003), walking in the Whaitakere Ranges with the
children, popping down to Wanaka to see some special friends and going out for
breakfast on Ponsonby road!
This was all a fantasy I'd created from… you
guessed it, my perspective.
It was hard not to smile and be happy for Team
Oracle as they crossed the finish line victorious. In the same moment I was
devastated for Team NZ and for the abrupt end to my “selfish” fantasy. As I’ve
described, there was a little more going on than simply wanting the underdogs
to win!
My perspective is that of the supporter, more
specifically the wife of a sailor. The hours worked, the weekends absent and
the stress endured over the several years a campaign runs, cannot be understood
unless you have lived it. This isn’t necessarily uniform in a team, but it is
apparent for all and it exists for both sides. This point was distinctly
highlighted for me after reading my friends blog. Her description of how much
it affected her was an eye opener for me- akin to studying “All quiet on the
Western Front”, (what the Germans had families too!!!) So thanks Rach, it was
wonderful to read it from your perspective.
Like everything in life- it's what you make it.
Right now, we are in the enviable position of having too much choice. I had to
ask myself, what would I HONESTLY prefer. The choice being made for me OR
actually stepping up and heaven forbid, making a decision ourselves. A
decision, based on information we have right now, that is best for our little
family right now. It might not be the right choice, it might be difficult, but
at least we will have decided and can take responsibility for the path that it
leads us down.
A bit of a no brainer really, no matter what your
perspective!
