I'm on a Boat!

As I have stated before, my parents have a little speedboat that they like to pull up to Big Bear Lake during the summers. It’s what desert people do. We have little boats that we haul to places that have water.

Well last Sunday I was able to join them for one of these fun little excursions. It was made even more special because my Grandmother is visiting, and she got to ride on the boat too, something she misses since she moved.

I love being out on the water with my family. There is peacefulness to it. Chatting, and sun worshiping, all while periodically dipping my fingers into the cool mountain water. It really is the definition of bliss.

The opposite of this tranquility is the madness that ensues when its time to dock the boat. It becomes a blur of people jumping off the boat, and the tossing of rope in an effort to tie the drifting watercraft so that it does not float away. It is also a hugely anxiety provoking two person job to get the boat in and out of the lake, on person driving the backing the truck up into the water, as the other person drives the boat all while other folks are trying to do the same with their families. Now to be fair, my fear of all things with steering wheels has made it so that I have never have had to participate much in the practices of getting the boat in or out. Though I have been known to forget to untie the rope before bringing the boat in, or not leave enough slack so that the poor boat slams its side into dock. Neither thing makes my papa very pleased.  If we get through the loading and unloading with no one yelling, and no hurt feelings, it was a good boat day.

But watching this got me thinking (and here I go hitting you with another transition metaphor, you know you love it ;) life is a lot like our family boating trips. There are moments that we are good, gliding along aware of all that is beautiful and good, but to get to those moments we have to go through some rough ones, we have to live through the frustration and anxiety of change to get to the good stuff, to appreciate the smooth sailing.

I am currently in one of those transitional periods. I know that I just have to hang in there and do what needs to be done, believing that I will find some tranquility again.