Lessons from the Paddle; Developing Resiliance

Canoeing Adventure at Devils Fork State Park, SC

I've been canoeing since I was 11 years old. Through strenuous adventures, wrong turns, tipped canoes, and bad weather I soon acquired the skills to quickly glide our vessel across the water. I didn't always profess to be knowledgeable about canoeing. Though I strive to be Captain Nemo, the persistent clanking, clashing, and bumping of our canoe left me looking similar to Captain Crunch. The most important lesson I learned from Canoeing though is simply this; Resilience. In other words,  utilize your obstacles as opportunities and converting your challenges into fuel to succeed. Two important lessons help in understanding resilience.

Lesson 1- Learning Comes from Anywhere: 
My brothers and I affectionately named this canoe "the iron salmon" as it had both durability and consistent buoyancy. My first big challenge in a great adventure puzzled me "How do we get the boat to the water?" The boy scouts was an organization I would never be interested in pursuing. Though I admired their knowledge of wilderness and survival, the Hayward troop had the type of superiority and judgment I as an awkward home-schooler actively tried to avoid. Even their body language while relieving themselves made you feel like they expected the toilets to be made of gold or at least thank them after wards.  My rebellious heart wanted to feed them dog poop as a secret ingredient in brownies but Sunday school lessons diverted my devious spirit. Though I refused the capsule, I desired the value inside. So I did as anyone in my generation with access to a computer did... I googled boy scout knots. The foundational knowledge I gained through my search not only helped me one up the scouts but prepared me ahead of time in what steps to take in securing a canoe onto our '94 GMC Yukon we called "The God Mobile". I have tipped several canoes on my learning curve but I can tell you with confidence my hi-jacked boy scout knots held the Iron Salmon tightly to the roof of the God Mobile.

Lake Jocassee, Devil's Fork State Park, SC

Lesson 2- Taking Control:
The next challenge was learning to take control of the boat. You would think at first glance the front of the canoe is the spot to be. Early off I would argue with my older brother on who got the front, however, he was more cunning than I picked up. To my surprise canoes are all front paddle drive, meaning if you want the better views you've gotta work about ten times harder. I had officially established my place as canoe engine dragging all of my brothers across most Hayward's surrounding lakes. This pattern continued until one fateful day in July. My friend Trevor and brother Luke took a paddle on a nearby flowage. Like always I sat in the front and put my muscles to work getting the boat moving. Trevor was a large teen and therefore we thought he should sit in the back to counter weight Luke and I, but out of our ignorance we made a critical mistake; Trevor had no steering experience. Our journey began as most Wisconsin summer days do; sunny, hot, with a slight breeze. After traveling half way across the 5 mile lake we noticed the sky turning dark and the wind growing stronger. Though the three of us knew turning around was the wisest decision to make, our adolescent insecurities about manliness kept each of us from being the first to speak up; our thought patterns must have looked something like this, "As long as I'm not the one to call it quits, I can go along with the others without loosing my manly dignity." However, our insecurities was married with prideful stupidity; none of us spoke up and the Iron Salmon went on. By the time we got another mile in the sky took a nose dive from dark gray to blackish, the type of cloud you might image Voldemort lives in. Now raining cats and dogs, the wind howled hurdling our canoe straight toward the logs and rocks on near the shore. Trevor and Luke were petrified by the forces of nature's dirty work; I had enough. I grabbed my paddle turned around in my seat to face Luke and Trevor and began steering the boat back to shore. I had Luke and Trevor row backwards effectively reversing the order we started in. I moved from engine to driver in two seconds flat. After a long strenuous afternoon of battling the northern elements we finally reached shore drenched and exhausted. I entered the boat a passive rider, grunt man, worker and left the vessel a champion of the elements and master of my crew and ship. Someone once said, "The only way to gain grit is to go through it" if this statement is true I had just added grits to breakfast, lunch, and dinner my nature and character had changed the trajectory of my life.