Freelance writer, author, editor, and proofreader
It’s okay to stop fighting. If I can’t breathe, I choose to stop trying. When it's my choice, there’s no need to panic: I’m in control. That pause, that absence of panic, gives me a chance to deal with the problem. That applies to the rest of life as well.
In a worldwide pandemic, the consequences of our prejudice can be dire. If you've never questioned your own beliefs, this is the time.
I like plans. In January I wrote my 2020 plan; in March, I got stuck in the wrong country. There's freedom in having limited choices: here's why.
There’s a strange phenomenon that happens on ships; it’s called “Channel Fever.”
Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash The best thing about seasickness is that it leads to one of the best feelings in the world: that moment when, several days into a voyage, I wake up and realise that I feel hungry. I get up to find something to eat, then realise with a sense of joy... Continue Reading →
At maritime college, they teach us what to do in emergencies, how to prepare for flooding, fire, man-over-board. Photo by Nicole Honeywill on Unsplash They don’t teach us how to deal with the aftermath. It’s possible to put on a facade of calm, to exude confidence, but no-one ever teaches us how to deal with the... Continue Reading →
They sold my ship in February. It was Friday, in mid-Pacific. The captain read us the email just before dinner. Most of the crew were somewhere between upset and angry, but I just felt relieved, as if I’d been freed from a prison I hadn’t realised I was in. The company offered me a transfer... Continue Reading →
Friendships, family ties, connections, they exist. Without contact, these connections eventually fade away.
In an unsafe work culture, unsafe acts and conditions become normal, just something to joke about. And then someone is killed.
