Sailing in the Ditch

I enjoy watching Deadliest Catch, probably more than I should admit. I even have a little crush on one of the sailors (anyone who guesses correctly will get a cookie). I like it because it's just life. Nobody gets voted off, nobody wins a million dollars, nobody comes in last place. It's just life, writ large and small, on a boat very far away from me. In some ways, that life is familiar. The sailors are stuck with their crew. If they get angry with one another, they have to work it out while working on the deck. They don't have time for disagreement, but they can make time for fun. And when the sea gets rough, they have to look out for one another be they brothers or strangers. This season, one boat has been spending a lot of camera-time "sailing in the ditch." According to dashing Captain Andy (not my crush, sorry), sailing in the ditch is a dangerous proposition. Waves come crashing over the unprotected sides of the boat instead of being absorbed by the strong bow. The captain sounds an alarm when he sees a wave coming. All the deckhands grab onto whatever support they can find, duck their heads, and wait for the water. I hold my breath every time I see it. The problem, evidently, is that the string of crab pots were laid before the storm hit. Then, if the captain and crew want to earn any money, they have to take the risk of sailing in the ditch to collect the pots. Right now, I feel like I'm sailing in the ditch. It's been a long, rough week and the waves just keep coming. Jacob is having a really hard time. Work at the office is not going smoothly. I'm not sleeping well. I'm having ear issues again. Claire is tantruming at the drop of a hat. I know that most of these problems are small. Most of these problems will go away soon. But for now, I just keep picking up the pots, grabbing support wherever I can, and enduring. I'll get the bow turned safely into the waves here soon, I think.