: Well this was a year I’d like to remember. Late last fall I was
: diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease and what we think is a case
: of mercury poisoning mixed in. Between that and the drugs they
: gave me I was a mess. Imagine crushing fatigue, a bad hangover
: and experiencing a senior moment, 24/7. At times I couldn’t
: even complete a sentence much less a thought. To my surprise I
: discovered I felt better when I was distracted by building
: something, so I figured I’d build another boat and ordered
: Black Pearl plans from Björn Thomasson.

: It was like building the boat drunk but I felt better when I was
: working on it. As soon as I stopped for the day I instantly felt
: like crap again. The brain fog never left though. I found myself
: staring at the boat forcing myself to concentrate more than
: once. The concentration was the cure.

: It had been 5 years since my last boat and every boat I like to try
: something new so I figured I would stain this one. I was trying
: for a homemade look which I think is beautiful on Greenland
: style kayaks. I even purposely put staple holes in for the
: effect. Then the test strip I stained came out purple. The cloth
: and epoxy darkened it into a gorgeous brown so it was quite a
: leap of faith when I stained my hull dark purple. That's when I
: found out anxiety isn’t part of the cure.

: Well it is finally done. We launched it this past weekend and I
: took a few pics.

: http://homegrownboats.imgur.com/all

: It paddles and rolls better than I could have hoped. So if you ever
: find yourself with a mind altering disease... try building a
: building a boat.

Beautiful - and I'd have to 'second' your closing thoughts.... works well for what ails ya, whether situational stressors, midlife crisis, depression, or a mix/something else. I'd compare it favorably with seeing a psych, and you have something to look at/play with when you''re finished.