Imagine this……A day starting with showing up to the job you love…. asking my “co-pilot for the day”…… “What do YOU want to do today?”
It appears to be a beautiful warm day….. so we talk over some outdoor options and SHE GETS A HUGE SMILE AND SAYS YES TO PEDDLE BOATING!
So off we go….. my co-pilot and I LOVE DRIVING AND SINGING, we pull up some FAVORITE HAPPY SONGS…… and off we go to the lake……… singing some upbeat inspirational Jamie Grace songs ……
We rent our boat, my co-pilot chooses her life-vest and chooses one for me and off we go on our happy relaxing adventure! LOL
The rental agent helps us get our boat into the water and our JOURNEY begins.
As we peddle I record a little video on our a experience and the heartwarming HUGE smile on my co-pilot’s face as she tells me “it’s easy, it’s easy” ………
We get out in the middle of the lake a beautiful refreshing breeze blows in so we decide to take a break, call up some more Jamie Grace and sing some “happy tunes” to the fish and enjoy this beautiful day!
It was perfect…… the wind is gently rocking our boat……. our hearts are Happy as we sing with Jamie and send up our enthusiastic (possibly a little off key but very joyful noise to the lord)……
We are having SO much FUN SINGING AND FLOATING we do not notice how far from our boat dock we are getting……..AND we have peddled so many times in circles because our boat steering device seemed to be faulty!……… but no fear…….WE ARE HAVING FUN!
So as the RESPONSIBLE ONE IN CHARGE HERE……… when I look around…… start squinting and attempting to see the boat rental dock! I realize one is BARELY within site but I am pretty sure that is the one that was closed for the day…….. rentals are only being offered on the Canawaga Day Use Side today!
Wow, I say to myself, pretty sure we are not going to return this rental on time….. LOL
Although I have GREAT Hope and Faith that I can continue to make this predicamate that I seem to have gotten us into continue to turn out FUN.
The HOPE side in my head decides to pull out the trusty cell phone and check to be sure that the boat rental dock that I can barely see isn’t the right one……. I call up the GPS for Canowaga day use area HOPING IT IS THE ONE THAT IS BARELY IN SITE……..LOL
My happy co-pilot and I are now laughing very hard and realizing WE HAVE A LONG WAY TO PEDDLE!!
Now is when I decide I better reach out to another friendly co-worker who is also out in the community……. Is it a bad sign when you pull out the GPS in the middle of a LAKE hoping it tells you the boat landing you can hardly see is the RIGHT one……. because if it isn’t THAT MEANS the one you NEED is out of site? LOL
….Where are you??? She asks from two counties away and on land……… a few funny texts go back and forth and she encourages me to call the rental office.
FYI texting and peddle boating (when you have drifted out into nowhere land is safe) even if we could have gotten enough speed up against the wind there was nothing to run into…..LOL
Well ….. many recordings……. operational times….. and many selections later ……. NO HELP THERE!
We are still laughing very hard as we continue our attempt to peddle this boat back.
I keep offering many positive praises and silly conversation as my mind makes a NEW plan “I am SOOO Proud of you” I tell her “it’s easy” she responds.
A few fisherman have been afloat on the lake with us during our excursion, unfortunately they are barely in site as well. I snap a photo and tell my land bound likeness …….. “We might have to peddle up to that fisherman to see if he can tow us in” I text with a laughing emoji………..
I send the pic………
the reply comes back GOOD LUCK WITH THAT……….
“I know!” I text back….. I am feeling pretty incompetent right now!
They really shouldn’t allow me to be in charge of anything or anybody……….
BUT WE ARE LAUGHING HARD AND HAVING FUN WITH THIS……..AND MY VEST DOES HAVE A WHISTLE………. thumbs up for that one!!!
The breeze that has been blowing into us and challenging our ability to move forward pics up a bit more!……..
“This might be a good thing” I tell my co-pilot…..
Maybe I can take my lifevest off and use it as a sail…….. you blow the whistle…..
So this is when GOD intervenes ……………………
Some how we get close enough to the fisherman in the John boat who was barely visable.
Now…….. I need to tell you that my dad has NOT been alive for eleven years…….. and he would NEVER have been floating in a boat in a lake fishing……. but GOD FOUND HIS LIVING TWIN AND SENT HIM TO ME TO GIVE ME A STERN LECTURE ABOUT EVERYTHING I WAS DOING WRONG…… AND THEN PROCEDED TO GET ME OUT OF THIS MESS!
Although I am NOT sure……. I suspect he may have seen us earlier floating and happily singing off key to the fish and felt WE were the reason he was not catching fish today.
As he is telling me, in a somewhat sharp tone “you have to steer it”…..\ “that thing in the middle is how you steer it” ………..
I was so glad to see him, but I must say I was a bit annoyed at his lack of confidence in my peddle boating abilities ……. not to mention at this point my co-pilot keep laughing and telling him “we need help” “we need help” only adding to my feelings of inadequacy.
Between laughing and attempting to respond to what “my stand in dad” is telling me to do, I do manage to stand up for myself and my abilities with a slighty sharp reply “we are not the problem……”It’s not us” It’s the wind and there seems to be something wrong with the rutter”
After several kind attempts at throwing us a rope and towing us while holding onto the rope fail. He changes the plan to “I am going to pull you up against the boat and you just hook your arm over the side and hold on”….. “Can you do that?” (my God sent stand in Dad sternly asked me) “I sure can” I eagerly reply as I bust out laughing and do as he says!
Myself and my co-pilot peddle our hearts out along side our rescue boat.
Every once in awhile I look over to see her smiling face and give her praise “I am SO proud of you” I tell her. “We NEEDED HELP” she laughs.
As I am sitting here writing this my heart is full!
I love when the silly predicaments I find myself in paint a much bigger story of clarity and guidance in my life struggles.
When life throws us into very difficult situations and every day Life Uncertainties are constantly looming over us. We often go into the very familiar survival mode and direct our focus on being strong and walking forward and staying alive for those who need us.
As my co-pilot stated “WE NEED HELP” ……. God sends us Help hopefully we realize it and accept it when it shows up.
I am so grateful for the people God leads me to who fill my heart with Joy and Love, and give me Wisdom to know what to do next.
“THE BEST WAY TO FIND YOURSELF IS TO LOSE YOURSELF IN THE SERVICE OF OTHERS”
Mahatma Gandhi
Stay small and continually watch for the Wisdom God is sending you!
Accept and Appreciate the Help from the people He sends to help you…….. Even when they show up with a fatherly lecture about all the things you are doing wrong…… lol
And Do Life Big for others…….
With Love, Hope, Joy and Peace, Carmela