Friday I went kayaking with one of my closest friends. 10 miles. 6.5 hours. Filled with blistering heat, bottled water that wasn’t near cold enough, and bug spray that did last long enough.
Drinking hot water in the hot sun can lead to a killer headache, but we had the best time! We saw a few owls, a baby fawn sleeping in the shade, blue herons, and several other wildlife. We had great conversations, finished sentences with song lyrics, and enjoyed the peace and quiet. Truly a wonderful experience.
With the low water, we found ourselves stuck in many places. In some areas, we played a mean limbo to glide under fallen trees. Check out this TikTok to see a recap!
At the beginning of our journey, I found myself constantly getting stuck in shallow areas of the river. I was constantly on the lookout for snakes and alligators, so I found it difficult to anticipate where I needed to navigate the kayak. The first leg of the journey I spent the majority of the time pushing myself out of stuck places. Soon I began to realize the freedom in looking ahead. I could see where the water levels were changing or anticipate logs that might hit my kayak. The more I looked ahead, the easier it was to kayak.
Kind of reminded me of life… Sometimes we get so caught up in worrying over what is happening right now that we forget to look ahead. We find ourselves constantly stuck because we can’t see what’s in front of us when we aren’t looking ahead.
We also get caught up in worrying about “What if I run into a (figurative) snake?” In the whole 6.5 hours we were out there, I never saw the snake or alligator that made me so anxious I lost sleep the night before we left. I wonder how many times do we spend worrying about things that never even become a problem for us.
This summer I challenge you to take time to set your eyes on things beyond your current circumstance. There are 10 miles of river in front of you and a journey of memories for you to make. Don’t waste it.