As children, we all live in a world of imagination, of fantasy, and for some of us that world of make-believe continues into adulthood.
Jim Henson
I grew up on a steady diet of movies, books, theater, and art. Television was mostly limited to Saturday morning cartoons, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, and The Muppet Show. There was never a question in my childhood about whether magic existed—it was (and still is) an undeniable truth. I rode dragons in Pern, stepped through wardrobes into Narnia, herded the Red Bull into the sea, and embarked on road trips with frogs, bears, and chickens. I swooned over David Bowie in Labyrinth and Westley in The Princess Bride. For better or worse, I was gifted (or perhaps cursed) with an overzealous imagination.
My mind’s eye conjures breathtaking wonders, but it is equally adept at envisioning demons. On our boat, Waponi Woo, our tagline was: What could possibly go wrong? At any given moment, I can confidently answer that question. In all likelihood, I have already played out every potential catastrophe in full IMAX clarity inside my head. And on a boat, things do go wrong—often. When they do, it’s easy to spiral down the path of imminent doom.
After four years of cruising through rough seas, my anxiety reached epic proportions. The shadow of inevitable disaster loomed over my daily existence like a heroine in a mythic quest, standing at the edge of a dark wood, fully aware that the odds are not in her favor. This is where the sidekick enters the story.
Fizzgig is a creature from The Dark Crystal—a fiercely loyal, temperamental, grapefruit-sized ball of fluff with rows of sharp teeth and an impressive growl. Fizzgigs roll to get around, despite having feet, and while small, they are formidable protectors. In the film, Fizzgig stands guard over the heroine, playing a crucial role in her quest to restore the crystal.
My Fizzgig is a boat. Like its namesake, it is temperamental (as boats tend to be), but it will keep me safe as I set out on future adventures at sea.
It’s also entirely possible I chose the name because, like Fizzgig, I am high-strung and have perpetually mutinous hair.
