I often think of life as a voyage - we weather the storms, leave our safe harbour now and then, and sail to new destinations. Like a ship, we can carry great burdens over long distances, run into trouble in rough weather, and make good time if the wind is at our backs and we have plenty of fuel. It's all in how we prepare for the trip.

I love the story of the Plimsoll Line - and use it as a metaphor for preparing safely for the journey of life - every day. Let me tell you a tale from the Port of London in the mid 1800's...

"If you were visiting the Port of London in 1868, you might have met Samuel Plimsoll. He would stand and watch the ships being loaded – and loaded – and loaded with cargo. Samuel knew that many of these ships would sail away from London and never return to safe harbour again.

The ships were overloaded to the point that they would likely capsize if they found themselves in heavy seas. He lobbied hard to get a provision added to the Merchant Shipping Act of 1876 that made it law to have a load line painted on the hull of every cargo ship. A ship could only be loaded to the point where that line touched the water. Then all loading had to stop – for the sake of the ship, its cargo and most importantly, its crew. Sailors to this day call this mark “The Plimsoll Line”. It has been responsible for saving countless lives over the years."