Yesterday in the beautiful stillness of the Chincoteague bay...
as my boys slept...
I took out my paddle board.
Camping is our opportunity to spend long days on the sand without owning a beach house.
Paddle boarding is navigating the waters without owning a boat ;-)
There is something so perfect about paddling on a board...
It's as close as I will ever come to walking on water...
There is a peace to it...
The birds, the sun rising over the water... It is perfect...
A serenity...
Requiring balance...
and a little strength...
As I made my way out to the bay, I realized that I was a little scared.
I don't know why...
The idea of falling into open water, maybe?
I think possibly the fear of not being able to do it, and having to figure out a way back...
The water was generally still... Though little waves make standing up quite exciting.
I smiled as I thought about all the ways that life is constantly teaching me...
In all that I do, in all that I experience, I can't help but smile at how relevant and powerful the lessons can be.
I saw an island out in the bay, and I decided that would be my target...
As I paddled, enjoyed the gorgeous morning and tried to stay upright, my mind wondered...
1. Do what you can to paddle board in still water... Get up early... Go to the bay not the ocean... Pick the right path...
2. Even with the best planning, sometimes troubled and unsettled waters find you... And you have to do your best navigating them...
3. Lean away from fear... This is so important. As the water gets choppier and the board starts to feel wobbly... When you lean into fear you tip over and fall. You have to be constantly leaning away from fear to maintain your balance.
4. Look out onto the horizon to see where you are going... It keeps you focused and balanced in a way that looking close can never do... BUT work closely... As it is the current stroke that will be the only thing that propels me forward toward my destination.
I had made it all the way around the island and was heading back.
I haven't fallen! I was so proud of myself. Last year I had fallen multiple times by this point.
I was 95 percent complete with my 1.5 hour journey and the thought in my mind was...
There is so much to it... So much to paddle boarding and life... The serenity, the focus, the balance, the work, the joy, the fear... It all happens at the same time...
RIGHT as I am having that thought something happens... I feel my weight go back so I lean forward... I land face first on the board and feel like I am about to flip it...
I fall SPLASH into the water...
I laughed... It was deliciously refreshing...
Its not over till it's over I thought...
And, there is always that lesson...
We will fall...
we will always fall...
And, we will need to stand back up...
Look out into the horizon,
lean away from fear,
and keep rowing...
and smiling...
and living...
in harmony,
Nestor