OK, technically it was a kayak...but let's not get pedantic for the sake of a witty and topical post title eh? Yes, I give thanks for achieving the long held and highly unlikely ambition of propelling myself in a water borne vessel! Yes...you may raise your eyebrows and raise your hands...especially as the instructor, on hearing neither Julie nor I had any experience whatsoever, expressed some concern as to it being a good day to begin with the strong wind and turning tide. But hey...we gave it our best shot and I for one, despite being the weakest and least co-ordinated, absolutely adored it! Even when I was doing it wrong it felt so right, which when you've wanted to do something for a very long time isn't always the case.
I give thanks for the sheer head shaking beaming grin wonder of doing it, and remembering I did, though maybe next time (I'd love there to be a next time) not in quite such a busy boating thoroughfare...those wakes and currents defeated us both in the end, and we had to retire gracefully and let the experienced folk go on for further adventures.
I give thanks for the glorious sunshine. For the patience and good humour of the instructor who had probably never had such an enthusiastic and gleeful pupil before, and who was particularly kind when our fellow paddlers were not. Huge thanks of course to Julie for being up for doing something she normally wouldn't have and enabling me to be the person I still am inside who would. But most of all to me. I'm not good at asking for help with my dreams and schemes and longing for a 'normal' life, and often meet with disappointment when I do...but they never go away and my tenacity in adversity is, by my reckoning anyway, pretty astonishingly awesome. Even though the chances are running out, this girl can still do more than you might imagine!
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