A very happy new year … trusting that it may be a tadge better than 2020.
Not sure what your thoughts / plans are for the New Year, or whether you have made any New Year Resolutions but the one thing that I am looking to try and be better at is not thinking I can do everything myself without getting help ….. let me spin you a quick dit.
The ship was alongside in a foreign port in the Caribbean, there was a late night ‘chat’ going on in the WOs and Chiefs mess, not a party just a dozen guys sat around enjoying a social nightcap or two after a run ashore. All very calm and quiet. It was probably 0130ish if I remember correctly
… and I have to confess to being present ….
One of the lads started sniffing and said I think I can smell burning, can anyone else? We all started smelling the air, some saying ‘nah’ others ‘yeah I can too ‘… it was coming through the vents, so it seemed like a good idea to all start wandering around 2 deck opening compartments looking for the source of the smoke. This seemed a much better idea at the time than actually raising the alarm and getting the Duty Watch out doing the job they were there for …. Anyway, a couple of the lads started to take this search for the source of the smoke a bit too seriously and moved off 2 deck, and one Chief wound his way up to 01 deck.
In the course of his search decided it was a good idea to enter the Captain’s cabin, and of course the CO instantly woke up and asked what was going on. Chief replied with ‘It’s OK Sir the fires not in here’ … at which point the CO said something that is not actually recorded, rang HQ1 raised the alarm and the help that should have been called for in the first instance quickly found the source of the smoke. It was actually the Chiefs mess beer cooler overheating in the fan compartment next to the mess deck which had been completely missed. Let’s just say the Chiefs Mess president was summoned by the Skipper for a chat (negative coffee) the following morning.
So, at the start of this year, it may be worth thinking about the guidelines and boundaries we live our lives by – do we just think we can do it all ourselves and get it right all the time? For me I think that the Bible is the best instruction book for life. There is so much in it that helps us in our attitudes and actions as we navigate this life. If last year has shown us anything, I think it has shown us that we do need others around us to do the right thing. Certainly, communities have come together to help each other out. I for one would like to think all that community support shown last year has not been for nothing.
The beer cooler incident could have gone horribly wrong, thankfully it didn’t burst into flames and start a fire, but our decision to do things our way was potentially threatening the safety of the ship.
I mentioned that I believe the Bible to be the best guidebook for life, and those guidelines are really all summed up in the words of Jesus as recorded by Mark:
Jesus said, “The first rule is this, ‘Listen, The Lord your God is one; so love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy.’ And here is the second: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ There is no other commandment that ranks with these.”
So, as we start this new year, maybe grab 5 minutes, sit down with a brew and read it through a few times and think whether you can allow that to shape your thoughts and actions on into 2021.
See you next time ….
Image Credit: Moritz Knöringer
