Burn the Ships

Saying goodbye to Plan B

Allegedly, Spanish explorer Hernán Cortés, on arriving in Mexico in 1519, ordered his ships be burned, ensuring he and his men had no way to retreat . That left no other course than to commit to the expedition.

More recently, in 2018, the Christian music artists for KING + COUNTRY released an album and song with that title, the song being inspired by the battle one of the duo’s wives faced with addiction.

The phrase Burn the Ships has come to mean abandoning “Plan B” and committing fully to a “Plan A.” It is a call to action. A call to leave behind fear and shame and past failures.

I’m getting closer and closer to burning the ship.

In January of 2025, I made the decision to move my blog from Wordpress to Substack. Honestly, I’d never even heard of the platform, but my good friend K the author had recently moved to Substack and she highly recommended it. Knowing K to be a level-headed and reasonable person who cares about me and has on many occasions given me good advice, I followed suit.

Here’s the beautiful difference between a blog on Wordpress and one here: I began to make connections - with other writers. Other women who are putting themselves and their stories out there. Turns out Substack is actually a community. I’ve encountered some incredible new people here that I admire and whose words have begun to play a significant role in my own journey.

• The woman who knows what it’s like to have an ex serving time in prison

• The woman who, in spite of the current climate of hate and violence and racism, can bring a sense of peace with her posts and her poetry ❤️

• The woman who, at over 70, rebuilt her life twice from nothing - and I do mean nothing, who now helps other women over 60 do the same

• The woman who “...traded in climbing the corporate ladder in Silicon Valley for a life in the small fishing village of Ajijic, Mexico.” She’s 81 years young and her regular notes are like oxygen for my weary soul

• The woman with whom my first interaction wasn’t a very positive one - she’d managed to discover my Substack when I’d posted a particularly frustrated rant about the current US administration, yet who I have discovered has a way of calmly putting everything into perspective as well as drawing beautiful words from photographs and teaching others to do the same

• The woman who addresses aging with wonderful humor and wit

• The woman who, after surviving her own childhood trauma, now coaches other trauma survivors and whose posts remind me that I don’t need to be ashamed of my transparency regarding what I’ve been through

What does all this have to do with burning the ships? Everything.

“You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step. - Martin Luther King, Jr.”

“Writing about my past isn’t me staying there. It’s me finally having the words to walk myself out.”

“I hope good things happen to you this week and when they do, I hope you know you deserve every moment of them.”

“You don’t owe anybody anything except yourself.”

“Time doesn’t shut the door on your dreams.”

“You’re not too late. You’re just not done yet. There’s still life in you. Still joy. Still more becoming.”

“Your timeline is yours to rewrite.”

Over and over and over again, I’ve been gifted words of encouragement - to be brave, to believe in myself, to trust that if I take the first step, I will land on both feet. These gifts have come from women who have lived it.

It’s my turn to live it.

So at the risk of my grown children thinking I’ve lost it, I’m throwing my personal Plan B out of the window and I’m burning the ships. One goal. One plan. One relentless focus.

Because if I fail, I’m not going to be able to say I didn’t try - that I didn’t reach for it.

XX

Many thanks to Arriving Whole, Linda Hoye 🇨🇦, Monica Hebert, Karen Blue, Ariel’s Substack, Cindy O’Dell, Debra King Kathryn Haueisen

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