Learning To Sail

“I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning how to sail my ship.”
– Louisa May Alcott

Alcott is best  known for her semi-autobiographical novel Little Women. Raised in New England in the 1830s, she was a tomboy: “No boy could be my friend till I had beaten him in a race,” she claimed, “and no girl if she refused to climb trees, leap fences …”

Her family was poor, and she was determined to help them, so she took odd jobs _ teacher, seamstress, governess, servant – and started writing. She was also active in the abolition of slavery and establishing women’s rights.


“… I will make a battering-ram of my head and make my way through this rough and tumble world.” 

Sounds like Louisa would have been a perfect candidate for CrossFit! Oh, to invent a time machine to bring Louisa and Charlotte Bronte into 2011 for a workout, a meal, and a long, long talk about writing… and life.