Introduction to This Blog

May 26, 2012:  This blog is a journey of discovery.  For years, I've been told "You need to write, Martha.  You've got a book in you!" And I've often responded, "Really?  What's it about?" I wasn't being a wiseacre - it was a genuine question.  I've long felt that I could, perhaps should write, but I had no idea which of the gillion things going on inside me to write about ... nor how. Last year as my husband Peter Branning and I cruised the Caribbean in our 40-foot sailboat, I made several entries in our Lightheart Sailing blog. Some were simple travelogues, some were descriptions of experiences, and the ones I liked best were the telling of life lessons I was learning along the way.

A significant injury forced my early return to land life (see "About Martha" post in this blog), and I’ve found myself writing more and more - writing to update those supporting me in my recovery process, writing as a vehicle to understand what I'm experiencing, writing to integrate and apply the lessons I'm learning, writing to explore my voice and style and desire to express myself.

I finally realized I want to pull all this writing together and share it – and share myself – even if in a rough, imperfect, wandering form.  I call this blog Captains Courageous: Navigating by Heart because "Captains Courageous," derived from old French, connotes "Leaders of Heart." I love that name, notion and aspiration; and it's also the name of my company that offers sailing adventures in personal growth and professional development.  I added "Navigating by Heart" not only to segue my nautical life into my current life, but also because the Heart is the best compass I know for finding my way around.  It's how I'm learning to steer through the seas of life.

In this blog, you will find a variety of subjects and approaches and styles.  As I said at the beginning, this is a journey of discovery; and sometimes a journey is marked less by the destination than by the diversity of sights, sounds and experiences along the way.

I hope you'll enjoy the journey with me.  Please leave an occasional comment to let me know how you're experiencing the journey yourself.

In loving,

Martha