Sailing and questing

I have a friend with a beautiful sea-worthy sailboat. He is going to be making an attempt to do a solo trip across the Atlantic real soon. He has stocked the boat with food and is doing all the maintenance things he has to do. I wonder what it is that drives a man to take on a challenge like this. I
have been tempted to ask him to take me along but a part of me holds back. What about the bills, the house, the cat. Funny how these little concerns seem to be more important to me than the concern that a cross-atlantic sail can be a very dangerous thing. Are there other things in life that we are the same way about. Worry about the things that you really shouldn't worry about and meanwhile the big things go almost unnoticed.

One Man's Search to Find the Meaning of Life