Take Helen Keller’s Word for it

by Josh Tremblay

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure. -Helen Keller

Some day trips come easy. Others not so easy. Yesterday’s paddle fell into the latter category. In 7 hours on the board, I traversed 19 miles. Ouch!

My day started with the alarm at 5:45am. After a partially warm, then refreshingly cold shower, I drank a lot of water, did 15 minutes of yoga, loaded the K-15 on the car, and saddled up. By the time I pulled up to the water it was 7am. Fifteen minutes later I launched on what, I didn’t realize at the time, would be a grueling paddle. With a camel back full of over 100oz of water, a handful of snacks such as energy bars, trail mix, and soaked almonds, I took off into a light headwind.

The K-15 gracefully cut through the bumps in the water and proceeded toward my first destination. Well after over three hours of paddling, I finally landed in Apollo Beach. The wind, by this time, had stopped. The water was perfectly glassy, providing for some awesome views of Hillsborough Bay (sorry no photos, I think our camera is on its last leg). I pulled up on a small strip of sandy beach, opened my bag, and began to replenish my energy supply with a whole lot of trail mix.

I took off a little further into the channel at Apollo Bay, then began headed back towards Tampa. Just as I started to head back, the wind picked up and started to blow from west north west. The wind was again causing bumps. The return paddle was particularly challenging, because by this point I was pretty fatigued. Perhaps lack of sleep, too much sun over the weekend, who knows. Needless to say, I was tired. Finally, just after 2pm, I was back on dry land and I was exhausted.

What did I learn yesterday? Some trips come easy. Some don’t. In the big scheme of things, I like having days like yesterday. They help me prepare for the journey ahead. They help build mental toughness and discipline.

When’s the last time you’ve had a character building day? What did you learn in the process?

There’s a sparkling gem in every experience. Here is yesterday’s sparkling gem: