When I said we were moving onto a boat, I expected there to be more water. Unfortunately, we’ve dipped our little Sea Shanti in the drink three times in as many days, and each time, we’ve discovered a new leak.

But what can you expect from a $3000 boat that hasn’t been afloat in at least six years? I think we’re doing okay given those circumstances.

It was a little disheartening, but we’re undaunted. Here’s why.

Life is full of disappointment.

Yup. That’s how all my pep talks start: Life is full of disappointment. Don’t you wish you had a cheery life coach like me? Cynicism has its perks.

Look. You can stay on the safest possible path and still sprain your ankle. You can spend months and even years planning out a perfect life and still find yourself thwarted by unforeseen obstacles.

It should never come as a surprise when things go wrong. The real surprise is when they go according to plan. When I view things through that lens, disappointments don’t have quite the sting and even the smallest victories become more meaningful.

The way I see it, the busted cell phone, the multiple leaks, the general feeling of chaos, disorder, and panic – that’s just life being life. Our goal was to live on a boat. We live on a boat. We’re still on track. We’ve just got to plug a few leaks before we deal with the problem of seasickness.

Leaks are nature’s learning curve.

After the first leak was fixed and the second leak discovered, Jack and all the boatyard experts were befuddled. Then, the guy in the boat next to us came over and immediately pointed out some bolts that needed to be refitted. How had he so quickly identified this particular problem when everyone else overlooked it? I suspect it’s because he’s encountered something like it before, so he knew what to look for.

Learning only happens when you’re stretching yourself, and you can only stretch yourself by trying new and terrifying things. You become an expert by encountering every possible problem and figuring out how to solve each through trial and error. By that way of thinking, this leaky ass boat will make a salty shipwright out of Jack in no time.

We’re still on a damn boat.

Yeah. It’s not in the water. Sure. It’s not fully renovated. But it’s still a damn boat, and it’s ours. I call that progress. Give it a few more days, and we’ll get this all worked out, and then we’ll be dealing with a whole new set of problems. Mark my word.

In the meantime, think buoyant thoughts.