You Must First Row A Little Boat On A Lake Before You Sail The Open Seas.
By Ashleigh Fergus
Book Title: First You Have To Row A Little Boat: Reflections on Life & Living
Author: Richard Bode
Length: 182 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Price: $14.99 USD
As Richard
Bode sails on the open water, he reflects upon his life’s trials and
tribulations.
Bode is desperately seeking life’s meaning and associated knowledge in his venture out in the open sea, instead of finding his answers in a corporate society where one is typically found chained behind a desk.
Bode is desperately seeking life’s meaning and associated knowledge in his venture out in the open sea, instead of finding his answers in a corporate society where one is typically found chained behind a desk.
In his book, First You Have To Row A Little Boat, Bode shares his personal outlook on
life. While some may find his writing
insightful and poetic, I’d say Bode creates misery. And, we all know that misery
loves company.
Photo Credit: By
Brian Jeffery Beggerly from S'pore (Flickr) [<a
href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0">CC-BY-2.0</a>],
<a
href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AOpen_boats.jpg">via
Wikimedia Commons</a>
Not only did I find this book pushing emotional boundaries,
I also found his strained metaphors about the sea to be a little painstaking
and tedious. I could not relate to the
author’s journey because he lacked a zest for life. I am someone who enjoys upbeat and comical books, so I struggled to stay focused on his musings.
Bode believes that one learns from his mistakes and at the
basic level I would agree. However, when
children enter the equation, everything changes. In my personal opinion, children need guidance and direction in order
to set out of the right path of life.
I believe that as a parent, one often has to course-correct their child, especially if the path they are pursing is harmful and unsafe. But Bode allows his children to learn from their mistakes without intervening. For example. when Bode sees his son sailing in a dangerous manner around the beach, he refuses to intervene.
I do not agree with Bode's parenting because if a parent does not invest in his child, we leave it up to destiny to guide our child to safety. As parents, we should teach our children to put one foot in front of the other.
I believe that as a parent, one often has to course-correct their child, especially if the path they are pursing is harmful and unsafe. But Bode allows his children to learn from their mistakes without intervening. For example. when Bode sees his son sailing in a dangerous manner around the beach, he refuses to intervene.
I do not agree with Bode's parenting because if a parent does not invest in his child, we leave it up to destiny to guide our child to safety. As parents, we should teach our children to put one foot in front of the other.
That’s why I share this advice: You must first row a little
boat on a lake before you sail the open seas.
Photo Credit: By
Jd5466 (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
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