First you have to row a little boat pdf

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First you have to row a little boat : reflections on life and living Item Preview. EMBED for wordpress. The journey of sailing and learning how to sail is truly such a meaningful metaphor for a fulfilling life. As a boy, Richard Bode is enthralled with the boats that glide through the bay near his home. His first boat is nothing more than a dinghy, which he dutifully rows out of the creek and across the bay, each stroke bringing him closer to harnessing the power of the wind.

As he learns about sailing, he learns about himself. He describes the lessons he learns while growing up and the sailing masters he meets along the way — the men who guided him at sea and in life. I sympathized with the young boy as he watches the blue sloop skimming across the bay, as graceful as a swan.

I shared his excitement when the beautiful boat he admired was finally his, and sailed along with him as he recounted a lifetime of adventures. And when the older man regretfully said farewell to his beautiful, beloved sloop, it seemed as though I had lost a friend too. Through a simple story about sailing, Mr. Bode shares his reflections on life and living.

It is a story about the human experience — one that sailors and landlubbers alike — can appreciate. We believe that we own the world, that it belongs to us, that we have it under our firm control. But the sailor knows all to well the fallacy of this view. The sailor sits by his tiller, watching and waiting. He knows he isn't sovereign of earth and sky any more than the fish in the sea or the birds in the air.

He responds to the subtle shiftings of the wind, the imperceptible ebbings of the tide. He changes course.

He trims his sheets. He sails. As a sailor and one who savors the memories of the past, this book made me smile wistfully at so many points. The lessons one learns on a sailboat are life lessons and cannot be understated.

Easy read. Good for those in one of life's many transitions and fans of Long Island's south shore. I really appreciated the author's life lessons and using sailing as a metaphor. If I knew more about boats I probably would have given this a five.

Sherri Brown. This is a book that is best enjoyed in short sections. I found that I wanted, even needed, to stop at the end of each chapter to absorb what the author had written. As a sailor, I fully understood his vivid descriptions of learning about the wind, the weather and the water and about becoming one with your boat as well as the minute details about such things as parts of the boat, points of sail and trimming the sails.

I didn't need any time to understand the parts about boating. But I wanted to take the time to savor, reflect on and internalize the simple truths he eloquently brought up: living in the moment, following your passion, slowing down to get your bearings, trusting in powers beyond yourself. Bode made his points, lessons he had wanted all along to share with his children, not didactically but by life experiences and with compassion. Error loading page.

Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading. Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help. Los Angeles Public Library. Search Search Search Browse menu. Sign in. Languages English. Richard Bode - Author. Why is availability limited? Sign in Cancel. Add a card.