It was one of those perfect race days on Lake Michigan… sunny, 10-15 knots of wind out of the East, and I was crewing for one of the best skippers in the fleet.

On the hard, he was an approachable prankster with a twinkle in his eye. On the race course, he was a fierce competitor and one heck of a sailor. When you sailed with him, you wanted to do him proud.

But, as with life, things don’t always go smoothly. And when they don’t, it’s easy to get stuck in your head, which compounds the situation because the team that makes the fewest mistakes, crosses the finish line first.

John knew this truth, which is why no matter where we were in the race when something went wrong, he’d say, “The race starts here.” So anytime things aren’t going right or as planned—be it on a boat or anywhere in my life, I conjure up his wise words and hit the reset button.

With gratitude to a man I miss every day, John Vonnegut!