For nearly a year now, we’ve been sailing with our almost-six-year-old daughter, Philou. Just as we’re each on our own personal journey, Philou is navigating hers too. Life aboard a boat might seem like one big adventure for a child, and often it is, but it also comes with its own set of challenges. Not so different from life in a house on land, just… different.

One of the biggest challenges is the absence of peers her own age. It’s not that she’s unhappy, quite the opposite, but children thrive on connection with other children. When the chance arises to play with friends, Philou seizes it with both hands, pouring herself fully into the moment. And when the inevitable goodbye comes, she holds her head high, cheerfully calling “See you soon!” to friends and family we visit along the way. Sure, there are the occasional tears, but she’s remarkably quick to pick herself up and look forward again.

What truly amazes me is the sheer flexibility of her young mind. Children have this extraordinary ability to adapt to whatever life throws at them. Where an adult might linger on what’s missing, a child instinctively adjusts, reshaping their world to fit the present moment. Philou has learned, without us ever needing to explain, that home is not just a building, it’s wherever we are together. She understands that life is made of shifting moments, and she seems to trust that whatever comes next will carry its own magic.

There’s always something new on the horizon, and Philou seems to have a natural gift for not dwelling on what’s past, but embracing what’s next. We’re incredibly proud of her. More and more, we notice how she’s developing perspective: I hear her explain to others that what she misses on the boat is balanced by things she wouldn’t have in a house on land. Recently, she even said, “We’ll live in a house again, we just don’t know where yet,” as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

I’m constantly amazed by the adaptability of a child’s mind. There’s something beautiful, almost profound, in the way children move through change: open, curious, unafraid. It’s a reminder that flexibility is not about giving things up, but about making room for what’s new. We adults could stand to learn from that, to let go a little, to trust more, and to remember that life, like the sea, is always shifting, always full of possibility.