This Christmas season has been particularly hectic in my house with a new baby, being back in the office full time starting the first of the month (whose idea was it to start back to work in December?) and a very excited almost-5-year-old whose enthusiasm for the season I am trying to foster and not take for granted.
This time of year is always busy, and it can be so easy to get caught up in the lists and gloss over what’s really important. This morning I read a story that put it all into perspective for me once again.
Video still of the shrimp boat Miss Eva engulfed in flames near Grand Isle, La. Click to watch the video.Shrimper Ryan Barcot was burned over 75 percent of his body when the boat he was working on exploded in flames near Grand Isle, La., on Dec. 1. As you can see from the video, the crew was lucky to be within sight of an offshore oil supply vessel that witnessed the fire and called for help.
The open ocean can be a lonely place. When a layperson watches footage like this, they can see why fishing is so dangerous. The shrimp boat appears to be isolated, surrounded by miles of water. But in the scope of ocean fishing, the fact that they were visible by another boat means that they were far closer to help than many fishermen are in their daily work.
A rescue at sea is inherently miraculous. In Barcot's case, proximity to another vessel would not have been enough to save him just a few hours later. For the next two days, the area was covered in a dense fog. Chris Hanks, the oil rig foreman who witnessed the fire and alerted the Coast Guard, told the Times-Picayune: ""If it would have happened the next day, the boat would have burned up. I would have never seen the smoke."
As I was preparing to post this blog, I got an email from a friend of a Montauk, N.Y., fisherman who was injured in an ATV accident on Sunday. He’s suffering from a traumatic brain injury (despite reportedly wearing a helmet), and his friends are reaching out to raise money. Henry Sjoman is only 24, but he has been fishing for almost a decade, longlining for tilefish on the Kimberly for the last five years.
My thoughts are with the friends and family of these two fishermen as they navigate a difficult holiday season. You can also make a donation to Barcot's recovery via GoFundMe.
Every fall, as the days get colder and shorter, I find myself giving thanks for my friends and family, for this life with which I have been graced and, once we have passed the solstice, for the slow return to longer, warmer sunnier days.
The planet keeps spinning, and we are just here for the ride. Don’t take too many moments for granted without pausing to be grateful. Forget a few of the things you’re “supposed” to do, and instead take a few beats to give someone you love a sincere thank you.
Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to all of you.
