A Freighter in the Distance

Lake freighter watching is one of my all-time favorite things to do. It started with my mother who would stand mesmerized whenever a “freighter boat” (as she would call them) would pass by as she stood on the shore of a Great Lakes River. And now I do the same. These ships are huge and move, seemingly, slow yet steady onward. If you are from the Great Lakes area, then you are undoubtedly familiar with at least one legend of a ship on the lakes and it invariably involves a storm.

The thing about watching freighters is that, from a distance, they appear to be barely moving.  You see it on the horizon and it seems to just stay out there – on the horizon. But then, in an instant, it is close. And it is there, right across from you. And then, amazingly, it powers pass you and now I’m looking at the stern of the ship as it sails away from me. The moment never lasts long enough.

The effect is even greater when a freighter passes you when on a river. Because, when it is directly in front of you, the true size of the ship is awe inspiring. But what is truly amazing to watch is just how quickly the ship really is moving. In the distance, it appears to be crawling along. But right in front of me, I see the power and speed of the ship as it plows thru the water. And if you are fortunate enough to be present for a Captain’s Salute on the ships horn, well, you feel that down in your bones for many, many minutes after it ends.

Often times, I can compare my impatience for events in my life to unfold, with freighter watching. Whether it is waiting to hear if I got the new job, to get a complaint resolved, to get the diagnosis, to hear from a friend, or a child or a sibling, the waiting is always so very long. And stressful.  And worrisome.
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And then, all of a sudden, the event is upon me. It is there right in front of me as big as a lake freighter on the river. Sometimes (not always) it will even sound a loud horn to let me know the event is here and passing, so as not to miss it. And, just as suddenly, I am looking at the event in the past. It has sailed right past me. And I realize that all that worry and stress and anxiety was all for naught.