Thursday, November 12, 2015

PUSH

on the fifteenth of october i went paddleboarding. it was a beautiful day, but not so warm i didn't need longjohns, or neoprene booties.

i'm doing a thing i only discovered by accident one day in the summer, which is to paddle up into a headwind and then turn and sail back, being pushed by the wind and steering with my paddle in the wind. it doesn't work against the rudder in the air as effectively as it does in the water, but it does work and you can steer it, with some planning and some patience.

i did this three times that afternoon, paddling up and sailing back to camp. you will notice how low the sun is in the sky, even though it's only three o'clock in the afternoon. i am coming to the end of light in the day. i am coming to the end of my time at camp 20. i am coming to the ends of things i cannot fathom but feel in my bones.

we are all of us parting ways.

paddle up, sail home.


3 comments:

Margaret (Peggy or Peg too) said...

you do this with such ease. I have always wanted to paddle board. Everyone keeps telling me it is so hard and you must have incredible core strength. But I think this summer I may just say to hell with it and try it without incredible core strength and have a go at it. This was beautiful.

flask said...

paddleboarding is not that hard, peg.

sure, it gets harder in wind or rough water, and getting back on it when you fall off in deep water is going to require either long arms or some upper body strength.

but if you're just tooling around on flat water, it's less difficult than taking a stroll around the block.

Zhoen said...

Both endings and beginnings are doors, liminal and enchanted.

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