A Secret to a Happy Life: Live Like a Boater 24/7

“A lot of people ask me if I were shipwrecked, and could only have one book, what would it be? I always say, ‘How to Build a Boat’.”
- Steven Wright

When was the last time you waved at someone from your car?

I’m talking about driving on the highway and waving hello to the guy next to you doing 70 miles an hour.

If aliens are observing our planet - and no doubt they are - they’ve probably noticed something peculiar about how humans change their behavior when riding certain vehicles.

They’d notice, for example, that when we’re on a boat we seem very happy and peaceful. We smile and wave at other boaters - our beautiful fellow human beings. People on dry land see us on the boat and wave at us.

But then something happens. We leave the boat and step into another vehicle - the one with 4 wheels. Suddenly it’s a whole different ballgame. We tense up, curse out loud, cut each other off, and yes, we still wave at each other - only this time with one finger.

Same human, different vehicle. What happened?

People even NAME their boats, hiring professional sign painters. (How come we don’t name our cars?)

Below are some actual boat names I saw recently (Notice how creative, playful, lighthearted and exotic they are):

Joyous, Segovia, It’s About Time, Flying Cloud, Copasetic, Sabre 52, Off the Cuff, Snookie Joy, Wife’s Squall, Verus, Sweetness, Sandy Said II, Quickwater.

If we named our cars it’d be more like Flat Tire, Drunk Drivin’, Bad Direction, Don’t Make Me Stop This Car, Breakdown, or Long Commute.

To be fair, chances are if you’re on a boat you’re on vacation. You’re finally free to relax, be happy and carefree…enjoy life. I get it.

But why wait until you’re on a boat?

Why wait?

So here’s your homework: wave at your fellow motorists the next time you’re on the road. Try it once. They’ll think you’re nuts. I’ve done it, it’s a great feeling.

And while you’re at it, think up a carefree name for your car and have somebody paint it on your trunk. Something cool, like Stargazer, or Gas Guzzlin’, or Hot Mamma.

What do you think of my little philosophy? What would you name your car? Got a boat story? Leave a comment.

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You’ve probably heard about Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon professor who gave his now famous Last Lecture after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. He died a few days ago.

What an amazing and inspirational guy. He spent the last year of his life sharing his journey and inspiring millions of people to live fully.

Here he is on Oprah, talking about fulfilling childhood dreams:

Here’s a little something for Mom. And to all the moms out there…the ultimate creators, without whom we wouldn’t be here!

“Do you feel lucky, punk? Well do ya?” - Clint Eastwood

Do you feel lucky to be a creator? I mean, do you ever stop to think about how lucky you are to do something you love that brings joy to others and rewards you at the same time?

Do you have a symbol - an object - that reminds you to be grateful?

I do. It’s a pen. But not an ordinary pen. It’s kind of special.

Here’s the story of how I got it:

I recently had the good fortune of parlaying my caricaturing skills into some free cruises.  (Yeah, I’d hate me too if I weren’t the one cruising.)

The first cruise was to Bermuda.  I drew for a couple hours a day on the ship, then hit the beaches and explored the island.  

One day I visited an art gallery. After viewing the paintings, I was about to leave when I noticed a dark hallway in back. I figured I’d check it out. 

At the end of the hall I saw a door opened just a crack. I peeked inside.

It was a room filled with hundreds of wooden sculptures. In the center of the room sat the sculptor himself - an old black man, tapping away at a block of wood.

He invited me in.

His name was Chesley. We chatted as I admired his work. He said he was a retired art teacher. He spent his days sculpting and volunteering at the island prison.

I told him I was an artist too, that I was drawing passengers on the cruise ship. When he heard this he stopped working and looked at me with a gleam in his eye.

“No kidding!” he said. Then he thought for a second. “Hey - see those pens over there on that counter?”

I noticed some beautiful wooden pens. “Yeah?”

“I carved those from Bermuda cedar. They’re worth $60 apiece. If I give you one will you draw me?”

“Absolutely!”

He dusted off a pad of paper, gave it to me, and posed while I drew him.

Then he said something that totally amazed me.

“Nobody’s ever drawn me before.”

I couldn’t believe it! He was at least 70, an artist and an art teacher his whole life, and the first person to ever draw his portrait was…me?

He swore it was true.

He loved my sketch, said his grandkids would love it too. He gave me the pen, shook my hand, and I left.

I still marvel at the bizarre twists of fate that led me to Chesley’s studio so that we could share our talents with one another. I used his pen at my very first book signing last summer, and use it on special occasions to remind myself what a lucky punk I am to create for a living!

Say, would you like to see Chesley in action? I found this video of him on YouTube, working in his studio…exactly the way I found him. 

Do you have a Gratitude Pen?  What object can you use to remind yourself to be grateful for your talent? Leave a comment!