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It's never too late

Posted by: OAR, 21:23 GMT le 28 avril 2012

OAR crew Roz Savage explains what inspired her to leave a comfortable life behind and set our to row across the world's oceans.

"There was a time when I was living in London, doing a job that didn’t seem in tune with my values or my abilities, but I thought I needed a certain level of income and this job was the only way I could see of achieving it. I felt trapped. I would sometimes escape by reading books about mountaineers, polar trekkers and other adventurers. And yes, I would envy them.

It was this envy that gave me a clue my life wasn’t going the way I wanted it to. One day I did an interesting exercise – I wrote two versions of my obituary – the one I was heading for if I carried on as I was, and the one I really wanted. The contrast was startling.

It took another 3 or 4 years of gradual changes before the two obituaries started to converge, but I’m getting there.

The first step was to figure out what it was that I envied. The freedom? The adventure? The personal challenge? The opportunity to get fit and healthy? Or was it just that the grass is greener, and I simply wanted an escape from my current lifestyle?

And so I asked myself; if you want to do something about it, what’s stopping you? If you really, really, really wanted to do something about it, why would you let anything stop you?

As George Eliot said, ‘It’s never too late to be what you might have been’.

Here’s a little ditty I made up whilst on my maiden voyage across the Atlantic from the Canary Islands to Antigua...

As I row across the sea
I’m very happy to be me
Life is simple, life is free
Oh what better way to be!

There are many ways to live your life
Some are easy, some may bring strife
But do not say, when you are through
There’s still so much I wanted to do "

Follow Roz' latest adventure with Andrew Morris, the Olympic Atlantic Row.

Categories: OAR rowing Roz Savage adventure envy

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1. searoom 15:20 GMT le 29 avril 2012
Great story, Roz! Sorry I didn't get to meet you while you were in SF. I retired from SF Maritime NHP in December, so haven't had the opportunity to get down there much for the final preparations for Bojangles' departure. Member Since: 17 janvier 2009 Posts: 2 Comments: 1

2. ycd0108 19:12 GMT le 29 avril 2012
is this actually Roz? I followed posts across the Pacific and commented then (I think). With two rowers this run should be a "Walk in the Park" eh? Good Luck to you both! Member Since: 1 janvier 2008 Posts: 142 Comments: 3450

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Andrew Morris and Roz Savage will row over 2000 miles across the North Atlantic Ocean, home to London in time for the start of the 2012 Olympic games.

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