Monica’s TED Talks
In summertime, Monica and I lived aboard our sailboat on a bay in Northern Lake Michigan. We named our 1978 Peterson 34 sloop after Bernard Moitessier. We also named Bernard’s instruments, sails, and engine. Naming all the things like this never seemed unusual to me until I started writing it down.
People say fresh air makes you tired. Monica’s theory was that the effect is mostly dehydration. She advocated for everyone to drink more water than they thought they needed. After a day of sailing, no matter how well Monica has kept you hydrated, you’re tired in a good way — what we call Northern Michigan tired.
After the ritual of tucking the boat away, you may enjoy a leisurely walk into town for food, discussing the highlights of the day’s sail along the way. Later you’ll stroll home to Bernard to see the sunset and enjoy a hop water on deck.
Pretty soon, you’re very ready for bed. You’ve been looking forward to collapsing into the v-berth since you sat down for supper, and now you finally do it. It feels good, and you turn off your reading light immediately, but it’s not dark yet. Monica’s reading light is still glowing strong, and it will stay that way until she concludes tonight’s TED Talk.
Monica, prepping a TED Talk.
The talk could go anywhere. “Tonight’s TED Talk is on…” she’d begin. Then came the topic.
Frequently you’d hear the gossip on someone famous, like Truman Capote, or Madonna, or Simón Bolívar. Monica was fascinated by specific influential people and read lots of big biographies.
Cooking was another common topic. How to do it. Who says so. Where you need to travel to get the best example. Who totally sucks at it.
She could brief you on the Apollo and Gemini astronauts, their missions, their marriages — and the cosmonauts too. She preferred that word, cosmonaut. It has the cosmos in it, which sounds more like the world as Monica and Carl Sagan understood it.
You might hear one of the following: a story from the perspective of Humphrey, her sourdough starter, who also lived aboard Bernard; or an informational talk on wind, sun, and dehydration.
She might have more words than you’d expect on why she likes semicolons so much.
You’re really too tired to learn and can’t imagine where Monica suddenly got all of her energy. But you do learn, and some of it you’ve heard before, and that sort of makes it even better. You’re happy that her reading light is on so you can bask in her happiness for a while longer on this day.
Monica’s TED Talk has no scheduled ending. When you feel you absolutely must close your eyes, you hug her with your entire body. The bear hug either succeeds as a cue for Monica to wrap up the TED Talk or distracts her so she’s no longer interested in the TED Talk.
Finally she turns out the light, and you say, “sweet dreams sweet girl,” and she says, “sweet dreams mi amor.” Then she says goodnight to Bernard, Humphrey, George, Stevie Nicks, and everyone else on board — one at a time, and she insists that you do the same.
And then you do it all again tomorrow, because you’re that lucky.
