I had the grand opportunity to help “crew” a sailboat on Lake Erie this week. In sailboating, I soon learned, there is no such thing as just going along for the ride. What makes it fun is that every passenger soon gets an assignment, whether it’s as elementary as swabbing the decks or as advanced as hoisting the sail.

A newcomer to sailing, I was definitely in the “swabbing” category. Mopping requires no particular knowledge of sailing terminology. Starboard or port, a deck is a deck. A sail, however, is not just a sail. It is a main sail, mast, jib or boom.

The voyage – which happily took us from harbor to lake and back to harbor without mishap – reminded me of a few principles of life balance that are worth noting:

If you’re off course, even a small adjustment of the sail can make a huge difference.
If you’re “dead in the water,” it’s handy to have a back-up motor of reserve energy that can move you to a better place.
And – very important – You can’t do it all yourself.

Here’s to smoother sailing!