THE DASH

by Linda Ellis

I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend. He referred to the dates on the tombstone from the beginning… to the end.

He noted that first came the date of birth and spoke of the following date with tears, but he said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time they spent alive on earth and now only those who loved them know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own, the cars… the house… the cash. What matters is how we live and love and how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard; are there things you’d like to change? For you never know how much time is left that still can be rearranged.

To be less quick to anger and show appreciation more and love the people in our lives like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect and more often wear a smile… remembering that this special dash might only last a little while.

So when your eulogy is being read, with your life’s actions to rehash, would you be proud of the things they say about how you lived your dash?

May 19

May 19 Queenstown - May 2018

Dash Ocean Racing

So. The story goes… Ben and Ben have a rad night on old mate Jase’s stag party, but about 0200 things get deep. Me (Ben) say to Ben (Irving) that I am looking into the Clipper Leg 4 for 2019. Its been too long away from the big ocean and I can sail Fremantle to Sydney, Sydney to Hobart, Hobart to Airlie Beach in one hit. Ben and I were at the time hiding in a back room of the Sherwood Hotel, talking about our love of sailing in a hotel room 3 hours from the ocean. So Ben (Irving) says to me “don’t do the Clipper, buy a boat and we can do the Hobart together”. Naturally I said, “F*%# Yeah lets do it”

THE DASH

May 19 Queenstown - May 2018

Nov 13 Clipper Round The World - 13 November 2017