“Never say never” is well and good, but there are exceptions. And I knew without a doubt that Mariah would never work in the stern of the Mattie Belle with me again. She had, I supposed, learned enough about the meaning of hard work to know that she wanted no part of it. That is as valuable a lesson as any for a young girl headed off to school. She was now armed with the knowledge that she did not want to be like so many island kids who know hard work to the exclusion of higher education. For some, fishing is their life’s work, and love. For others, it is a rut they fall into that family ties keep them from ever climbing out of. And yet here I am, someone most people consider an anomaly—educated, and still working like an idiot, much to my nonfishing family’s dismay. All in all, I felt good bidding Mariah farewell, as I knew I had at least provided her with a real-life example of gender being a nonissue as well as the merits of finding work you can love.
What do You think about Lifesaving Lessons (2013)?
