Dear Jaclyn and Heidi,
I spent the last 10 years of my working life dreaming about joining the ranks of the grey nomads … of the glorious Happy Hours, the stunning scenery, and sitting in my cosy campchair. The lifestyle has since ticked all those boxes and more … but there has been one glorious failure. Despite a lifetime of never picking up a fishing rod, I also pictured myself landing some serious barra, salmon and the rest. Okay, that hasn’t happened. The problem is we’ve been lugging a giant tinnie on our roof rack for the past year and I can’t bring myself to give my ‘I-told-you-so’ wife the satisfaction of getting rid of it. Alice always said it was a stupid idea and I’d regret it but, to me, it was the ultimate symbol of what was to be my new found freedom. How do I lose the tinnie and still save face?
Russell
Oh, dear, Russell. Comfort yourself with the knowledge that you aren’t the first overly optimistic grey nomad who has got themselves in to something of a tinnie tangle. The Big Lap is a learning experience and it is obvious that not everything is going to work out the way you think. Everyone has to adapt as they travel and learn about the realities of the road. I’m sure that Alice won’t be quite as judgemental as you fear. Why not gently slide the tinnie into obscurity by citing non-fishing failure reasons such as finances. Talk to Alice about how you probably need to cut costs in order to keep travelling in style, and then ‘reluctantly’ admit the tinnie is an extravagance that you can do without, particularly as the wind resistance ratchets up your fuel bill. Enjoy your cosy campchair, Russell!
Jaclyn
Um, if you’re looking for a solution, have a look in the mirror, Russell! When at work, you saw the tinnie as the ultimate symbol of freedom and hoped to fill the freezer with fish. So, what’s changed? Stop being such a lily-livered whinger and get the boat off the roof rack and into the water. Okay, so you haven’t used it much in the first year, but you’ve got years still ahead of you. You may not have the runs on the board when it comes to barra catching yet … but there’s no shortage of ‘experts’ out there who would love to give you a few tips. Don’t start compromising on your dreams unless you have to, Russell. Just think about the millions of ‘dreamers’ stuck in their workplace who would love to have the opportunity that you have to be cooking a barra on a campfire tonight.
Heidi
