I was recently out with some friends and the topic of conversation led to a question: "have you ever had a moment in your life when you felt 100%, truly happy?" By 'happy' we meant deliriously happy - a time when life just seemed to make sense - where the world was your oyster - where nothing could have changed in that moment to make it any more perfect. I knew mine instantly because it was an experience that was etched in my mind the second that I felt this overwhelming feeling of happiness in its purest form. I was a young, sprightly 19 year old travelling the world at the time. More precisely, I was sailing on Condor, a world famous Maxi sailing yacht which has won every major ocean race in the world twice including the Sydney to Hobart. I was sailing with a group of like-minded, adventure-hungry travellers up in Queensland, Australia. We had been sailing during the day; soaking up the Australian sunshine and snorkelling alongside some amazing marine life in the Great Barrier Reef. It was whilst up on deck watching the sun set that I had this overwhelming feeling of complete happiness and gratitude to be in such an inspiring place and to experience beauty that some could only imagine. The sky was glowing gold then became a mix of deep red, purple and dusky pink. The water was still and calm and I remember not being able to stop smiling and just repeating out loud, 'wow, I am so happy'. That night I fell asleep on deck under the unforgettable Southern Hemisphere stars, that is, until I later got woken by a cool breeze followed by rather a lot of rain, which prompted me to speedily make a run for it and go below deck! If I think of being truly happy, it's this image that rushes straight into my mind...
