A tattoo for life
Always evocative, the sea has a way of nurturing contemplation, deep introspection and bursting creativity in anyone spending a little time observing its endless motion. Not for nothing does it feature prominently and consistently in centuries of art, poetry and literature – some of the classical repertoire’s most soaring pieces of music have been inspired by the sea. It’s shaped the fortunes of nations. It forges history. It’s central to our planet’s well-being.
For sailors, it can also be a vexatious and capricious mistress – switching at whim between calm, serene beauty and monstrous, detached ferocity. So I wasn’t surprised by the profound message in Hana Hielkema’s ‘Rejuvenation by Sea’ story that features in this issue.
It details the voyage of a solo Belgian sailor who arrived on our shores recently – a former paediatric surgeon whose career came to an abrupt and premature end with the onset of Parkinson’s Disease. A cruel, devastating blow to a chap whose life was defined by indescribably delicate surgery, giving infants a happier start to life.
Understandably, the sudden change left him directionless and without much motivation.
In a bid to repair his soul and find a new purpose in life, he took to the sea, electing to buy a boat and set off to find out not only what lay beyond the horizon, but to see if he could find it under his own steam. It was a wise choice.
Over thousands of miles the sea worked its restorative magic – soothing and massaging, challenging and stretching his limits – often frightening, but always fascinating. Having reached the Pacific, he celebrated his new joie de vivre with an unusual step – for once putting himself under the ‘knife’ rather than wielding it. In this case the surgeon was a tattooist on an island in the Marquesas.
Intriguingly, the sailor didn’t give the artist any ‘brief’ about what he wanted on his right arm. Instead, he related his life story and left the tattooist to digest, interpret and translate it into an appropriate graphic.
The result – as he says – symbolises the search for meaning in his life, his journey, his survival and, ultimately, his newfound purpose. The sea is a healer.
Good stuff.
Happy boating.