Friday, November 30, 2012

First You Have To Wait For a Little Wind


by Marissa DuBois


First You Have to Row a Little Boat
Authored by: Richard Bode
182 pages
Published by Grand Central Publishing
$14.99 USA

You feel it in the air. Breezing on by. The wind. It can even guide your life.  

          “Were you worried?” I asked.
          “I was for a while. But then I called the captain. He told me you had probably lost the 
wind but not to worry because sooner or later you would find it again.”
                                                            -First You Have To Row a Little Boat
  

             “Grass in the Wind” Photo credit: (http://mi9.com/wallpaper/grass-in-the-wind_25517/)
 

The wind is used as a metaphor. I easily related the metaphor in of wind First You Have to Row a Little Boat guiding our lives to metaphors of the wind in the Bible. I can see the wind as a pushing mechanism that leads you to destination just like the wind leads the sails away.
In a reflective memoir, Richard Bode describes his life through his unique sailing experiences. As an avid sailor and previously successful public relations practitioner, Bode regrets not spending time teaching his children how to sail. Sailing becomes an interesting motif throughout the story of Bode’s life as it changes with his life experiences to reflect different opportunities and stages throughout his life. He decides for himself it is better to leave the shore than be paralyzed by fear on land.

        “Sailing Progress” Photo credit: (http://hypervision2.blogspot.com/2011/02/sailing-progress.html)
 

A basic knowledge and familiarity of sailing is important to understanding the jargon and writing style of Bode’s life moments. Bode began sailing ever since he was a young boy at the age of 12. A lifetime’s experience of sailing and writing contributed to a well-purposed book. Bode uses beautiful imagery of the union of man and female through tying knots on his sailboat. The intricacies of sailing and life are justified through truth and time of Bode’s life. Some portions of his dialogue were uninteresting, however I thoroughly appreciated his introspective beliefs and connections to sailing. “We can't separate what we believe from who we are.” Bode said.

For a great glimpse at life, sailing, and reflections, read this book. Perhaps you’ll be inspired to take a sailing trip.

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