Immersed in other people’s stories, it’s rare that I grab hold of one of my own, but this one is worth telling you about.

One evening in the summer of ‘81, after movie night at the Ojibway Club in Pointe au Baril, Canada, a very thick fog had descended over Georgian Bay. After saying goodbye to my friends, I set off from the Ojibway Club dock for home. I drove the boat slowly but with confidence, knowing the exact angle to head out into the bay, having done the trip a million and one times. As I putted along, I came up to a couple who was lost and drifting in their boat. I guided them back to the club, taking it very slowly so they could follow the sound of my motor and the misty glow of my stern light. After I said goodbye to them at the dock, I headed back into the fog. Distracted by waving goodbye to them though, I had forgotten to pay attention to the exact direction for home and I was now lost in the fog. All I could see was my shadow ahead of me in the sky.

I putted and drifted, drifted and putted until I came up to another boat drifting in the bay. It was my great friends Jenny and Andrea and we decided to tie our boats together and drive slowly along in tandem. Mindful of shoals, but nevertheless chatting, singing and laughing along, we eventually reached a safe spot – a cottage’s dock – and we tied up there.

After a little while a boat came slowly by and we called out to it and flashed our lights. It turned out to be our friend John, who is slightly older than us and is blessed with a sixth sense – he knows the bay like the back of his hand. He led me home and then lead Jenny and Andrea home, cutting through the thick fog with determined assurance.

Looking back at that evening all those years ago, I realise that our strength, our missteps, and our guiding lights are symbolised each step of the way. My shadow ahead of me in the sky is our inner strength – it’s always there, but we can’t actually see it and sometimes we can’t feel it. The lost couple are distractions in our lives, temporarily setting us off course. Jenny and Andrea are the friends that are ever present, bringing us joy and comfort. John represents the expert outside resources that we can call on whenever we need them.

It’s cool to reminisce, with a new perspective. Writing your life story gives you the opportunity to reflect on your past and carry it through to your present, helping to guide you through thick and thin.