I am rejuvenated by R&R on the water, whether it’s where I currently live in a lake community on the outskirts of Nashville, or on a beach somewhere. But often I sit at home wishing I knew someone who would want to accompany me on aqua adventures, since my hubby doesn’t share the same enthusiasm, and often my friends aren’t that into it, or they’re not available.

On my recent work-cation to Florida, I had a big aha moment. I realized that I don’t have to wait for someone else to want to do what I want to do, regarding recreation, travel and hobbies. There are plenty of people who share my same interests, and I just have to find my tribe. There are clubs, meet ups, outfitters—all sorts of ways for me to get my needs met without being dependent on a close friend or family member to share the same need.

We usually don’t share all of other people’s desires either. There are no bad guys here, only needs. Our job is to identify our needs and if it’s not illegal or otherwise putting ourselves or someone else at harm in some way, then it’s our job to meet our needs. When hubby announced some hunting-related plans on the Saturday after my trip, I decided to make some water-fun plans on my own. As soon as my willingness showed up, Google provided the answers.

What's in Your Backyard?

I thought I knew where I might go to rent either a paddle board or a kayak, but I couldn’t get anyone to answer at that particular marina. The sun and water were calling my spirit, so I did a Google search. Turns out, there’s a really cool outfitter a mere twenty minutes from my house that I didn’t even know about. They offer paddleboard and kayak rental, but they also offer yoga and mindfulness classes on the boards in the water—right in my own backyard practically. What other great things am I missing out on because I’ve never bothered to see what’s out there, while holding tightly to the belief that someone I know has to want to do these things with me?

Without any hesitation, I booked a paddle board rental and was on the water ninety minutes later. Their paddle board yoga class was going on at the same time as my paddle board rental. Paddling my way out of the marina area, I was able to observe them for a little bit and determine, physically, that the yoga class would be something I can at least try. I am committed to signing myself up for a class in the near future. We can always try things and if we don’t like them, we’ve learned something.

Face It Head On

I’ve only been on a paddle board two or three times prior to this experience and it was a few years ago. I’m definitely a beginner. As I navigated my way away from the marina, a few boats were headed for the dock. As the wake of the first boat began coming toward me, I remembered the phrase, “Face it head on.” I’m such a word nerd. I love it when a saying comes to me and I get a sense of its original meaning in a tangible way. Phrases that we have heard for our entire lives actually arose out of real circumstances and this was great advice to consider in that moment.

I turned the paddleboard to face the oncoming waves head on and they were much less of a threat to my balance. Had I allowed them to hit me from the side, I would have wobbled more, and maybe even fallen in. In no time at all, the wake was past me, splashing onto the shore. What a parallel for life: face our issues head on and watch how quickly they resolve themselves and move on. That’s a much better plan than trying to ignore obstacles, or turn away from them, and run a greater risk of being toppled over.

Modify to Participate

Soon I noticed that paddling was aggravating my back. I’d never had any official lessons or guidance, but I thought there must be a better way. With a little bit of experimentation, I found out how to tweak my stance that eliminated the intense twisting at my lower back. My back pain was eased instantly. We are often very close to a strategy that makes our lives work better and feel more comfortable. I almost said, “Well darn, I guess I’m not going to be able to do paddle boarding after all, because of my back.”  Phooey to that! And I was challenged to contemplate, “What else am I capable of doing, or enjoying more, with the slightest modification?”

Apparently I can blog on a paddleboard and didn’t even know it. This Tuesday meditation was dictated into my phone, with a gentle current rocking me, the sun shining on my back, and a refreshing breeze cooling me off. Not all good things can wait, and I wanted to be able to share the parallels to life I was learning in this experience, in real time. Using a waterproof bag for my phone made it easy.

Stop Going in Circles; Face the Past and Move Forward

That first day out, I decided not to venture too far out. As I was coming back near the yoga class, I decided to lie down on my board and relax for a while. When I stood back up, I was having the toughest time paddling, as the board seemed bent on going in circles. I remembered this happening to my friend before, but I couldn’t remember why. Not able to figure it out, I just let it take me circularly forward, meaning I’d make a little forward progress before giving in to the board’s intention of making a circle. 

This illustrated the important reminder to stop fighting against the flow. If we’ve done all we can, sometimes we just have to accept things and go with it until more is revealed. Surrender any frustration, and be open to what the unexpected brings, because it is what it is right now, so we might as well enjoy the ride.

I let myself circle around and occasionally move forward, further into the cove near the marina, where the yoga class was wrapping up. I heard the instructor call out to one of the students who was having a similar struggle. She said to make sure you’re facing the front of the board, otherwise you will turn in circles. The class member had also stood back up, unknowingly facing the other end of the board. Thankfully, I happened to be near the yoga class when this was going on! It was exactly what I needed to hear and I was within earshot range to hear it. Perfect timing strikes again! It would have been a real struggle to get back to the marina from farther out, facing the back of the board, instead of facing forward.

What happens when we spend a majority of our time staring backwards at our past, instead of accepting it and turning to face today, and our future? Right. We’re going to expend a great deal of energy only to spin in circles, barely making any forward progress. A boat, a paddle board and we humans are not meant to go backwards. We have to turn around if we want our life to turn around and flow with ease in the right direction. Our bodies follow our gaze and our gaze follows our thoughts. Mind your thinking, mind your life.

God Calling?

Suddenly, a big storm front rolled in quickly when I was still in the cove close to where the yoga class had just ended. Not knowing any better, my plan was to hug one of the boat docks and pray for the storm to go around me. Suddenly I heard someone call out my name, “Angela!” “Angela!” I’ve never heard God call me audibly before. And then I realized it was the yoga instructor, ha ha! 

She’s also the owner of the company, and she had come back for me. She said that lightning was just three miles away and we had to get off the water immediately. I tried to tell her about my experience last Tuesday with massive black storm clouds in Florida that I prayed to go around me. (I wrote about that last week. If you missed it click here.) Essentially, the storm on the beach split and went around me on either side, missing me completely. The yoga instructor said while that could happen, let’s be safe just in case. When you’re in the water, it’s extremely dangerous and potentially fatal if lightning strikes. Oh, enough said!

Conclusions

My first big solo paddle boarding excursion was brought to a close only fifty minutes into my two-hour rental. They gave me an hour credit to come back for the remaining time I had paid for. That provided a great incentive to get out there again soon, which I did.  I’ve since taken a sunset lesson, and had another excursion a week later, this time with a friend.

You Are Not Alone. Just Do It!

What have you been putting off doing or trying because you don’t want to go “alone?” Check your thoughts about that, as I had to do, because I wasn’t alone on the water. I drove there alone, but after that, I was with people who enjoyed paddle-boarding and lake time. My hope is that today, if you’ve been putting off something you’d really like to try, that you’ll be inspired to do a Google search to see what your options are. Doing the search is free and requires no commitment. Just see what’s out there. 

Whenever we’re resistant, we can always pray for the willingness to be willing to be willing to take action. Watch out, life can get really interesting when we’re willing for new adventures!