let's sail around the world!!

Just so we're clear, I'm not currently living my dream. Part of the problem is that apparently, "hanging out" isn't a realistic way to use the "9 to 5" portion of the day -- that is, unless you have someone in your life who throws money at you (n.b. I don't). And I somehow got to be 30 years old without ever realizing what my dream actually was, beyond trying to be as happy as humanly possible at all times (but I'm nearly there, guys!).

Recently Laura Jane told me about her friend Emily who has a dream to sail around the world. At the time, I didn't really grasp the enormity of this. Then I started to think about it, and I couldn't stop thinking about it. I could never do this -- but I want Emily to do it.

Here is the plan: circumnavigating the world by boat, 24,000 miles in 24 months. I'm not a scientist, but I think Emily will use up less energy on this trip than a one-hour flight from Toronto to New York probably would, and that's pretty amazing / inspiring. To help with the cost, Emily is raising money via Kickstarter. She's created some incentives (kind of like when you pledge money to PBS), and Laura Jane created some even "wackier" incentives on nogoodforme.com. $15 gets you a Polaroid from the trip! An original Polaroid, guys; a piece of her trip in your pocket. $15 is nothing for that kind of magic! Personally, I'm aiming for the sailor hat. I really need a sailor hat in my life (and I get the Polaroid too!).

You can pledge as little as one dollar, or you can cover the balance of the $8000 she's trying to raise. As Laura Jane says, give Emily one dollar and drink tap water for a day: "EMILY NOT EVIAN!"

There's a really good interview with Emily on the Kickstarter blog. When asked what she's most excited about: WHAT AM I NOT EXCITED ABOUT!?! I want to paint my face and do tribal dances, I wanna roam forests and learn about natural healing. I wanna snap photos and swim with fish. I want to learn and give, grow wiser and kinder.

Don't you love sharing a planet with someone like this? Her blog is going to be such a good one to watch -- if she is able to reach her goal. Check her out! Community! High fives!