Letter from My 70-Year-Old Self
Dear Ross,
I’m sitting on the deck of Sea Beyond, the same boat you sailed off in all those years ago, though she’s had a few makeovers since then. The teak is weathered, but strong — just like you. The horizon is still endless, the sunsets still make me pause mid-sentence, and the ocean still teaches me more than any book ever could.
I want to thank you.
For having the courage at 42 to choose your life. For letting go of the condo, the security of Bangkok, and the routine that had been good to you but no longer fed your soul. For setting out to live free, to merge your passions, and to test whether the dream in your head could become the life under your feet.
The year you set sail was not just a trip — it was the pivot. It changed how you saw time, love, work, and yourself. You discovered that life doesn’t happen in the future; it happens in the tide, in the wind shift, in the quiet morning at anchor with coffee on the deck.
You helped people find their truth not from behind a desk, but from the bow of a boat, barefoot, sun-kissed, alive. You ran retreats where strangers arrived tired and left transformed. You caught fish with your hands, baked bread on calm mornings, and laughed under the stars with people who became lifelong friends.
There were storms — in the weather and in your heart. Times you doubted. Times you missed people. Times you wondered if you’d gone too far from shore, in every sense. But you always found your way back to your compass: truth, light, and joy.
And here’s the beautiful part — you didn’t stop after that year. You built a life around the ocean, not just a trip. You became a living example of what happens when you refuse to wait for the “right time” and instead make the time right.
At 70, I don’t have a list of regrets. I have a list of anchorages, of people whose lives you touched, of sunrises you didn’t sleep through, and of moments you stayed present for.
Ross — whatever is in front of you now, say yes to it. If it scares you, good. If it excites you, even better. And if it feels like freedom, it’s yours to take.
With gratitude,
You — 70 years old and still sailing
