Okay well, that didn’t work- Kayaking
Kayaking is scary fun
My younger brother Jeremiah took up kayaking as a hobby. Being single, his son had grown and moved out; he found he had a lot of time on his hands to fill.
One of those really smart computer guys, he spent a lot of time at work. As well as hanging out with friends more, he began working out, fishing, camping, and kayaking when he wasn’t dating.
When Jeremiah started his hobby he had one decent size green plastic kayak. After a couple of months, he bought another and then another. His collection now had two that he could ride in and one that he could stand on.
Nearly every weekend, he and his friends went out on the lake kayaking, camping, and fishing.
Pretty close family
Jeremiah, Patty, and I do Saturday movie nights and dinner to stay close and get a break from our home lives for just a little while.
We also make sure Jeremiah has to cook everything because that man can cook!
Due to my large family of six children, four kids, my husband, and myself, I couldn’t hang out with him when he began his hobby.
The same is true for Patty, my sister from another mister and mother. She’s been part of the family since middle school. She also has a slightly larger family compared to Jeremiah. Patty has a family of five. herself, her husband, and four kids. She was also going to school to be an L.V.N. and working.
Grown and Gone
As soon as all our kids were grown and we could get away, we began to take adult family trips.
These little trips are enjoyed by my younger brother Jeremiah, his girlfriend, her son, myself, my husband, Patty, our mom, and my stepfather.
Once or twice a year, we began going on little three or four-day trips, like to Galvistin or Corpus Christi to play in the ocean. We’ve camped in the woods by the lakes or stayed at Airbnb. We fish, bbq, watch movies and just hang out playing board or card games. I love these trips.
This time, we stayed at an Airbnb. The house stood near a lake with a river flowing into it. The river ran directly behind the house.
My brother brought his kayaks. Life jackets on, we jumped on like champs, and we rowed up and down the river like professionals.
No, we didn’t, just kidding.
I’ve Become a Scary Mary
So…I found out I am scared of open water now! When did that happen?
As a child into our early teens, we were at the lake every morning before the sun came up until sundown.
I remember in 1985 despite the flooding of Stillhouse lake, we were still at the lake jumping off the tin roof covers of concrete picnic tables that were themself submerged. The water was so high you could swim out to them and easily pull yourself up.
Thinking back now, this was one of the stupidest things I have ever done!
There was dangerous debris all over, undercurrents that could snatch you away never to be seen again, but there we were, dumb kids, jumping headfirst into the dark murky snake and turtle-filled water.
Over the years, the Core of Engineers started making everyone pay to go to the lakes.
Eventually, more and more people moved in around us. Soon. there was no longer a place to throw a line in the water or lay a beach towel on the sand. On top of that, people became ruder!
Once you entered the water, beach thieves were setting up shop breaking into cars, and it became a whole mess.
Our dad installed our own pool to solve the problem and for our safety. I spent more time in the chlorine-filled crystal clear swimming pools where I was able to see what hid just underneath the water.
I don’t know when I became scared of open water. Getting to the beach, oceans, and lakes has always been a great pleasure to me. I find myself going but never getting into the water. If I do I never go over my knees.
I have dreamt of having a home near the ocean or any water just to hear it beat against the shore. I’ve even been on a cruise!
I’m not telling you this to brag. I’m honestly wondering what happened to me? Why am I all of the sudden scared of almost everything?
It could be all the horror movies I watched like Jaws, Piranha, Alligator or it could have been all the news articles I’ve read over the years.
Did you know they found a cousin of a piranha in Lake Belton and there are alligators in there!
The newspapers seem to always talk about an accidental drowning in the lake.
During the summertime, you will see at least four or five accident drownings every year and
that’s on the low end.
Sadly, it’s usually teens playing around or going out farther than they should, testing their limits.
Sometimes it’s a boater who thinks, well you shouldn’t drink and drive, maybe drinking and boating or jet skiing is safer? Another reason not to go out to the lake anymore. People do not care about other people’s safety.
I’m going to get off my high horse. It’s not like I don’t do silly things to this day. I just told you we were jumping into flooded debris-filled water off of the tin roofs that covered concrete picnic areas.
It’s Time To Get On That Dang Kayak
We decided the next day in our four-day vacation to go kayaking after spending most of the first day swimming in the pool. Both Patty and I were very excited!
Since we hadn’t gone out with my brother and his friends to the lake over the years, we had been giving him a hard time. You know as sisters do.
Jeremiah of course had the last laugh, because he actually knew what he was doing, we were just talking mess.
We have that, “anything you can do I can do better,” thing going on. We always have. You know the girls vs boys mentality.
As we made our way down a rather steep sloping hill covered in thick green grass to the riverside I started to get cold feet, I wanted to back out.
Just the hill itself was dangerous, in my mind. I just knew I was gonna lose my footing and begin rolling like a ball right down that sucker into the gross brown water. There was nothing to hold on to and nothing to stop me! Instead, I didn’t say anything putting on a strong face.
When I looked down at the brown water a fear washed over me. The only thing I could think of was what was under there?
The thought of getting on that red narrow plastic boat and actually getting in the water had me going crazy inside. I’m talking about butterflies, shaking, and heart-racing the whole kitten caboodle. If Jeremiah or Patty noticed, they didn’t say anything.
I’m sure they didn’t cause they would most definitely make fun of me. Cause that’s what we do to each other!
Patty was so excited she volunteered to get on first.
In what seemed like an endless rundown of all the safety rules, Jeremiah laid out how to use the kayaks properly, how to wear your life jackets properly, and to make way for other boats and/or kayakers.
He then helped Patty with the green kayak she chose to use. Instantly it began to wobble, she screamed a couple of times and of course, we all laughed.
My brother explained she needed to sit smack dab in the center. Patty corrected herself and was gone. Literally, she took off leaving us. She came back around only to watch me get on.
Now it was my turn.
My brother is as patient as a monk!
While helping me on the kayak, I squealed, screamed, and clawed at him like a feral cat! I told him, “If I go into the water, he will go in with me.”
He laughed the whole time.
Finally, when I relaxed and was on the kayak, just like Patty before, I wobbled and almost fell off! Jeremiah was too far for me to grab on to so I had to calm myself down.
He again said scoot to the center of the kayak. Which by the way is not as easy as it sounds. After getting adjusted as he said, he handed me my ore.
It took me a sec to get the handle on how to use the ore correctly. I just remembered what I had seen on tv and youtube, mimicked that and it worked.
Just the thought of going into that nasty brown water kept me on that little red plastic sliver of a kayak, and I had the big one! The one you are supposed to stand upon.
I could see it in the news, “Crazy Woman Drowns Herself in Kayak Because She Couldn’t Stop Going Around and Around Like a Dang Cartoon Character.” That’s why I didn’t choose the green kayak.
This was so much fun, scary as hell but fun. Know this when you get comfortable on a kayak, that’s when you’re gonna fall in the water. That’s what I kept telling myself anyway.
Luckily, Patty and I both made it without falling in. We paddled up and down that river like champs and it was amazing! It was a great workout and fun.
Getting off of those suckers without falling in the water was just as much fun as getting on.
Patty didn’t care, she just jumped in the water. Whereas, I did the complete opposite. I hugged the side of the dock until my brother helped me up. Again under threat, “If I go in the water, you’re coming with me!”
Would I do this again, YES, It was a lot of fun. I have to get over this new fear and I can.
I will, just so I can do this again.
If it were not for my little brother Jeremiah and Patty, I would never get out of the house. I’d spend my day working on writing, voice-over, and horror movies. In between watching my grandbabies of course.
It was their fault I was on the cruise! I watched Titanic! I was petrified the whole time, but the experience was so much fun.
They know the magic words for me to do something; horror movies, wine, and art. I wish I was as fearless as these two.
