When the going gets tough, it can be challenging to focus on our reasons to be hopeful. This series of gratitudes is an exercise in reflecting on my reasons to be grateful, which is meant to in turn bring hope. So, in effect, this is an exercise in staying hopeful.
And as I always say, nothing provides hope like the dramatized near-death saga of a sailor lost at sea for 76 days. 76 Days at Sea is one of over 200 similar docu-dramas from the Wonder network’s series of videos called I Shouldn’t Be Alive, all of which are available for binging upon on YouTube. The synopsis for this episode reads…
When a ferocious storm leaves a man adrift in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, he quickly realizes help isn’t coming any time soon. For 76 days he must adapt to his new surroundings in the deep blue to fight off an endless bombardment of life-threatening blows. From starvation to dehydration, and insanity to predators. This is well and truly a fight for survival.
If the story sounds familiar, it may be because the subject Steve Callahan is pretty famous for his 1986 book, similiarly titled Adrift: Seventy-six Days Lost at Sea. More recently, he worked with Ang Lee as a consultant on The Life of Pi, the 4x Oscar winner from 2012 about a guy in a similar predicament (albeit with ample companionship).
If Steven Callahan didn’t narrate the production himself, I would probably assume that his series of unfortunate setbacks had been fictionalized and stretched out by the Wonder folks simply to fill the formulaic 48 minutes of the production. Callahan seems like a reliable narrator, however, made to seem more reliable and relatable by how he reflects with great humility on his life and (lack of) success from the depths of his solitude. Despite this self-doubt and self-hate, he continues his struggle against all odds and, at the risk of spoiling things for you, lives to tell the incredibly inspiring tale.
When there are not two other very unread books on my nightstand, I intend to pick up Adrift… because if a mediocre 48 minute docudrama can be as riveting as 76 Days at Sea was, surely the book will provide even more inspiration and hope!