Welcome Home, Abby Sunderland!

Living Life! That’s what Abby Sunderland's bold attempt to sail around the Earth brings to mind. And for that alone, in my book, she's a role-model.

I caught the news of her departure back in January. Having sailed some years ago, I felt a twist of envy. Just feeling the boat -- that frail shell, alternately protecting you from the whims of the waves and wind or joining the sailor and Nature's elements in a perfect grace and movement – is both exhilarating and tantalizing.

Weeks later, I stumbled onto her blog when she neared the Equator, and it became my first-read every day.

Though she came close to being lost, we're blessed that she's fine and back home today. She and her brother, as well as a handful of mature teenagers who have planned and built their way into achieving their dreams remind us that not living life to the fullest is perhaps the greatest tragedy.

And to my friends, the storytellers out there, these young people's examples remind me of what animation director, Brad Bird, once said: "how can you create the illusion of life if you haven't lived life yourself?"

Thank you, Abby, and welcome home!