Blind ambition

I have so many mixed thoughts about Abby Sunderland, the 16 year old girl trying to sail around the world in a 40' sailboat by herself... First of all, as a mother of 3, I cannot ever imagine letting my child do this. No matter how much they thought they could, I would not be doing my job as a parent in protecting my child. When they are this young, they think they are invincible.

My parents had several boats as I grew up, and they deep sea fished every weekend from April to September. They had a 25', then 36', and then a 45' Hatteras. That may sound big, but when it took us 6 hours to get out to where they wanted to fish in the Gulf of Mexico, and you couldn't see any land, and you knew you were 6 hours back to land, that boat seemed like a grain of sand on a beach. And to be by yourself??? And to be sixteen??? And to be going around the world in that size boat??? Gosh, the mind games alone in being by yourself all that time. And the fears... And how do you sleep?

Well, as fate would have it, right now she is sitting in the middle of the Indian Ocean with nothing near by. A rogue wave disabled her boat, but it's still upright and she's had contact with a jet going over, and it will take a boat 48 hours to get to her. It's like finding a needle in a haystack. Times a million. ugh.

I do admire her guts though. What girl wants to do this at any age? If she's got that much ambition, she's definitely going to go far. I mean, she's Amelia Earheart in that category.

I have this belief that God helps those who don't know any better.

This is one of those cases...