First You Have to Write a Little Blog

First You Have to Row a Little Boat

Richard Bode

224 pages

Grand Central Publishing, Warner Books

$14.99

By Nate Fisher

natefisher@ou.edu

In the best-selling Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, author Robert M. Pirsig describes his approach to various philosophical ideas through comparing differing approaches to maintaining a motorcycle while on a journey across the continent of North America. In First You Have to Row a Little Boat, author Richard Bode takes a similar “tack,” so to speak, teaching lessons learned along his life’s journey through the metaphoric lens of learning to sail and maintain boats, including his prized 23-foot wooden blue sloop.


By Ari Thiel (Ari Thiel / All Walls Oy) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

A personal memoir, we learn early on that Bode was brought up by his aunt and uncle after being orphaned in his childhood, losing both his parents to death before he was 12. He earned a B.A. in English from Union College in Schenectady after growing up on the Great South Bay of Long Island. Bode began working in public relations as well as a newspaper and magazine editor. After completing an M.F.A. from Columbia, he began his own writing career, leaving a full-time public relations job (holding the title of editorial director and chief speechwriter at Burson-Marsteller) in 1969 to become a freelance writer, a decision process he details in the book.


Long Island's Great South Bay - By Intelligentlove (Own work) [Public domain] via Wikimedia Commons


Union College in Schenectady - By UpstateNYer (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

“It wasn’t what others had done to me; it was what I had done to myself. Instead of pursuing my dream, I was ghostwriting articles and speeches for businessmen who had neither time nor inclination to speak for themselves. I lived close to the sources of corporate power, a seductive and flattering place to be, and I was highly compensated for what I did.

“But it was the vanity of vanities--and I paid a terrible price. I woke up each morning exhausted, dreading the thought of going to work, pushing myself against my will, dressing in a pinstripe suit I despised, boarding a commuter train to a city I hated, where I performed a function that aggrandized others and demeaned me. I was caught in a punishing wind and scared to death it might stop” (p. 80).

Bode’s memoir comes across as deeply personal yet simultaneously pertinent to the lives of many others. For me, his description of his decision to switch careers is reminiscent of some of the decisions I myself have made, and doubtless will speak to other readers as well who may have been, or indeed may be, caught in the throes of some harrowing quarter- or mid-life crisis. His ideas on the fact that being orphaned gave him certain advantages over some of his friends “who had no choice except to model themselves after the parents they had” (p. 179), while he was able to choose the models of manhood, humanity and work ethic for himself seemed to serve him well, especially as the lessons learned from sailing "sank in" (if you'll pardon the expression in a blog about sailboats) and he followed his dream. While others may likewise have their own cross to bear and hence bring along an innate ability to apply this situation to their own lives, the specificity of this upbringing and the nature of its effect on Bode’s life may prove inapplicable for some readers, and may turn off others who would bristle at the idea that they are not as in control of their own influences.

Bode’s tale is cautionary in the sense that it warns readers to pay attention to yourself as well as what is going on around you in order to find truth--a lesson that serves readers growing up in a postmodern culture with likely fewer real role models to speak of, as well as budding young sailors. I found the book heartfelt and enjoyable on many levels, and hope others get the chance to read it and absorb its message about finding one’s way in life. Curiously, it also piqued my interest in learning to sail. While Bode’s dream was to quit his job, make a leap of faith and become a freelance writer, perhaps others among us can start smaller and learn to sail, speak another language, take up a new hobby or the like. Curiously, Bode begins his book with his biggest regret, and uses the rest of the memoir explaining how he came to terms with the situation. This framing device seems secondary, however, to the observations and lessons discussed in each chapter. Overall, it is worthy of a read for both the young adult and the middle aged alike.

Sources and References:
Bode, R. (1993). First You Have to Row a Little Boat: Reflections on Life and Living. New York, NY: Warner Books.
(2001). Richard Bode ‘50: Seeing Beauty Along the Way. Union College Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.union.edu/N/DS/edition_display.php?e=572&s=1859.
(n.d.) First You Have to Row a LIttle Boat: Reflections on Life and Living. BarnesAndNoble.com. Retrieved from http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/first-you-have-to-row-a-little-boat-richard-bode/1102393336