Weathering the Storm
I live in a small town, near the Washington/Oregon border, where the mighty Columbia River hits the Pacific Ocean. The river at this section is nearly 5 miles wide and the currents created when the two waters collide are notoriously dangerous. This area has long been known as the “Graveyard of the Pacific” with at least 2,000 known shipwrecks in the Columbia River bar alone and more than 700 documented lives lost.
These waters also serve as a necessary gateway to some of the most abundant and lucrative crab fishing in the world. It is through these waters that generations of crab fisherman plow through, day after day, in the honest fight to provide for their families. Quit literally, they weather the storms and ride the waves, in the face of extreme danger to do what they need to do….. to survive. It is not a place for the timid or the weak.
As you can imagine, this is not a group that’s easily intimidated or dragged down.
You’re tired?… They’ve been grinding away in the wind and rain hours before the sun came up.
You don’t like choppy waters?…. They make their living on 15 foot waves in 40-50 mile an hour winds.
You’re head hurts?…. Their bodies are exhausted from standing and bracing against the constant onslaught of the waves.
And yet, they do it…… day after day…. but how? And why?
These two questions lead us to answers that translate far beyond the river and into the lives of all.
Experience and Motivation
You see the oldest boat captains, many of whom have their sons on the boat and their grandsons on the dock, waiting for their turns to take their place, have been doing this nearly their entire lives. This isn’t the kind of job you apply for on some website, this is a job you are born into. They have seen the big waves, and the high winds. They know the spots in the river and they know how to read the currents. They aren’t bothered by a little wind and a little rain….. they’ve seen much, much worse. They are exceptionally experienced at what they do.
But it wasn’t always like that. There was a first day for them, just like you or I at our jobs. There was that first storm that battered them….. and they survived. That first accident on board, when they thought they would lose it all… but didn’t. That first season, when the fishing wasn’t plentiful and times where tough… Only to have a bumper crop the following year. They’ve lived through feast and famine, and are back to feast again. Each wave and each season, they are gaining experience. Seeing things and becoming better every year. So too, are you, and I in the seasons we go through and the waves we ride. Each one, making us stronger and more experienced. Over time, we learn to navigate the obstacles, even if it means we find them by crashing into them.
Overcoming challenges are what gives you experience.
Everyone can drive the boat on a sunny day, but the experienced Captain is always at the helm during the storms.
Most of us would think you’d have to be insane to do this type of work, but not these guys. They know exactly “Why” they are doing it. You might think it's simply to get a paycheck, but that would be wrong. They do it because they love it, because their families count on them, and because they realize they are part of something bigger. They do it for their son who’s been watching since he was a young boy and their grandson on the dock. They do it, because long after they’re gone, they know they will have made an impact…….. They do it because their family name is on the side of the boat and they do not quit.
That’s what gets them out of bed in the middle of the night and on the boat before dawn.
So, what is your why? Why do you do what you do? Why do you deal with the constant storms and the constant turbulence? Why do you get out of bed and get to work?
Somebody, somewhere is watching what you do and the actions you take. In the same way I watch the crab boats from my windows and am inspired by their sacrifice, somebody is watching you and being inspired by your actions. Get on the boat, brave the storms, and return to shore a wiser fisherman.
Fishing boats lined up in Astoria Oregon