Danger Zone

Day 185

“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”

– Maya Angelou

Every moment is precious.

I just found out that my sister and her friends had a real scare out at the lake yesterday. They capsized, and weren’t able to get the sizable catamaran right-side up after a couple of attempts. Luckily, the rest of their friends, still on shore, saw them struggling and called the coast guard to rescue them – the boat that rescued them is today’s feature image. You see, they weren’t on a small local lake that you can easily swim to shore on, they were on the Great Lakes – in Lake Erie waters, and that’s some scary sh*t! Thankfully, other than some shaky nerves and bruises, they’re all ok. ‘Lil sis is ok and safe!

Blog Beats: Danger Zone by Kenny Loggins

My sister called me this morning to tell me what happened, and let me know she’s ok. She joked about it, and was extremely grateful that her friend, who was in the throws of this ordeal right along with her, was more concerned about her safety than his own, and did all he could to help her when she was caught under the boat while he, and their third sailing companion had made it above water. ‘Lil sis rockin’ gratitude and humor!

Her story made me think about how important it is to live each day to it’s fullest, to appreciate your loved ones every day, and not to wait until a “special” day to tell them how much they mean to you, and to remember that love and laughter go a long way to calming the nerves and turning a bad situation into a great story…or a cautionary tale. ‘Lil sis is loved a LOT!

I wanted to share this message with you, especially because it’s a long weekend for both Canada and the United States, a time many of us spend with family and friends, at the lake, around the grill, playing with fireworks, and the like. Here are some safety tips for boating, and fireworks and summer get-together tips, and tips to help your pets be as comfortable as possible during the fireworks. Remember to stay safe, watch out for each other, laugh a lot, and do it with style! ‘Lil sis got style and grace!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Update: Apparently, it was much worse than my sister let on – they made the local news, with the caption “High winds capsizes catamaran more than a kilometer offshore” – you can read the article here, replete with the horrifying feature image of my sister and her friends clinging to the capsized vessel, waiting for the coast guard rescue, after being in the water for over an hour. And the person showing signs of possible hypothermia? My sister. Talk about counting your blessings! Sooo thankful ‘lil sis and company are safe and sound. Thank you, thank you, thank you!