Paddle! Through Life

Have you ever felt like all the stars were aligned and everything was going so well and you felt that you were destined to do this! Than out of nowhere something happens that has you questioning if your were heading in the right direction.  You start doubting yourself, and asking yourself maybe I was not destined to do this? Am I crazy to try to do this for a living?

I recently went on an adventure race with some friends, it was a two person race in which one person cycle’s for 23 miles meet their partner and canoe together for 3 miles and then the other person runs the next 5 miles.  Well let me tell you, it was a real adventure since I got lost cycling.  How do you get lost when others are racing with you? you may ask.  Well there was another race going on and I got confused and rode with them LOL, till I realize I was in the wrong race and have already ridden 19 miles.  Decided to head back because the whole point of this race was to canoe since I had never done it before, and darn if I was going to miss it.  So, I met my partner and we push the canoe into the canal, I sat in the back and my partner sat in the front.  What I did not realize was that I was supposed to steer the canoe.  Remember, I had never been in a canoe before.   To make the story short we kept going in circles rather than straight and we were the last ones to make it back.

This is how I’ve been feeling these few months.  I felt like I’ve been paddling in circles instead of going straight.  I love obstacles but obstacle racing not obstacles that life throws at you.

This morning something wonderful happen and it made me realize that I was in the right path, that yes I was going in circles for a while there but that eventually I will learn to steer the canoe straight and look back and realize that there was a lesson to learn.  Not alway, life will hand you things in a perfect silver platter but that life will have it’s up and downs but it depends on you to make the reality you want come true.  So even though my friend and I kept going in circles, we laughed through it all.  So, this is just a small wave that I need to conquer and move on to what I was meant to do.

I leave you with this.

Different Ways of Navigating

We’re All in the Same Boat
We are all on this earth together learning and teaching together in many different ways.

We’re all in the same boat. We just have different paddles, and perhaps we find ourselves on different rivers. We all live in human bodies. These are the vehicles in which we move through our world. We are all made of flesh, blood, and bone, with brains, hearts, and lungs to power us. Our paddles—the tools we use to move through the world—vary, as do the bodies of water—the environments—in which we find ourselves.

Some of us use our high IQs to get where we want to go. Some of use our smiles, others use kindness, a gift with language, or athletic ability. Some of these qualities we were born with and others are skills we have learned. Considering this metaphor in light of your own life can be very enlightening. What tools are you using to get from point A to point B in your life? Chances are, you and the people you know have used many different tools in various combinations throughout your lives to get where you needed to go. Just as with oars or paddles, a balanced approach is best. If you rely too much on one thing, like beauty, to open doors, you fail to be well-rounded and you may eventually lose your equilibrium. And if you lose that one quality, you have no paddle at all. This is inspiration to develop multiple tools to navigate your world.

Some of us may be moving along paths that are like rushing rivers; others may be on a large, still lake. We have all felt, at one time or another, tossed about on a stormy ocean. Through all this, we are never really alone, even though it might seem that way. There is inspiration all around us in the form of other people making their way through the world, in the very same boat. Remember to look around you for role models, companionship, and encouragement.

Happy Navigating,

Rachel Dack, L.G.P.C