NAVIGATING UNCHARTED WATERS:
THE REMAINING DAYS OF THE YEAR AWAIT YOU
by Gregg Krech
Long have you timidly waded holding a plank by the shore,Now I will you to be a bold swimmer,
To jump off in the midst of the sea, rise again, nod to me, shout, and laughingly dash with your hair.
— Walt Whitman, “Song of Myself”
This year, 2026, launched the next chapter of your life adventure. And now, the year is half over. Before going any further, it’s worth taking stock:
Where have I been? Where am I right now? Where am I going?
Think of the year as a sailing trip. Three different kinds of sailors: The first has a specific destination — you set out from Newport bound for Nassau, or somewhere exact. The second has no fixed destination but a direction — south along the coast, and any good harbor at the end will do. And the third has neither destination nor direction. Just to be out on the water and enjoying the sea. Any destination is fine.
Which type of sailor best represents you this year?
It’s been a wild passage — storms, fog, illness, upheaval, unexpected news from far-off places. A good novelist couldn’t have scripted this journey. And yet here you are. You’ve survived it. The question now is quieter and provocative: Where do you go from here?
In the waves not far ahead, you see a shiny object. A glass bottle. A ragged note rolled up inside. You fish the bottle onto the deck of your boat. You extract the paper. It reads:
“The path behind you can be seen. The path before you cannot. All of the karma from your entire journey exists in this very moment of time. Let it inform your choice of which direction you take. On the sea, you can only see so far. Only through movement is the unfolding of your journey revealed.”
So here is an invitation for contemplation. Give yourself a quiet hour. On the back of the note are some questions, scribbled and messy, but legible.
What have been the highlights of the year so far?
What did you actually accomplish?
What pushed you out of your comfort zone — and how did you come away stronger or wiser?
What gave you a sense of meaning and purpose, not just pleasure?
And, less comfortably: The thing you hoped to do . . . and didn’t. What is it?
Finally, on this six-month journey, did you touch the life of someone, in a way that brought them joy? Did you give them a memory that they will treasure from their connection with you?
Now is the moment to get your bearings. To find your way forward. To decide what is truly important to do on the next leg of your journey. Beware the sirens of the sea who will tempt you with questions of “why.” Why didn’t you do that? Why did you make foolish choices? Why are you the way you are? Why aren’t you a better sailor? Those questions are distractions. They may seem interesting, but they pull you from your quest and waste your energy.
This is a moment of pause. A moment of quiet reflection. A moment of stepping back from your life so you can step into it again with some clarity and renewed focus. Use it wisely.
Then hoist the sails, look out at the vast ocean, and set off into the mystery of what awaits.
Bon Voyage,
Gregg
Gregg Krech will be conducting a free online event sponsored by the Zen Peacemakers on July 15, 2026 from 12-1:30pm (ET): Taking Action: Lessons from Japanese Psychology. REGISTER HERE for the event.
