“Susan, Row Your Boat Ashore, Halle-luuuuu-jah!”

Well, yesterday was one more new adventure for me. It was so new it wasn’t even on my Bucket List. Wasn’t even something I’d considered to be on my Bucket List. But guess what! I got to write it on there then marked it off all at the same time!

Scotty told me Friday evening he was taking me on a surprise date for the day yesterday: destination? Unknown. My other instructions were to wear something comfortable. And I did.

We took our beach blanket and packed a cooler for a picnic, which is something we have never done before.

So, off we went with the top down on the Mustang and the wind blowing through what little bit of hair I have headed toward Johnson City. We continued making our way through Elizabethton after we made a few stops to use the rest room and get breakfast. I mean, we couldn’t have completed both tasks at one stop, right? Pretty soon you could feel the temperature begin to fall as we entered into NC but the sun remained warm, radiating my chill bumps. But the scenery, the mountains were simply majestic. Our God is a Mighty God, Creator, Painter, and Sculptor.

We eventually stopped, but where we were I had no clue. As we get out of the car, Scott tells me we are going to rent a boat. I was so excited! I asked, “A ski boat or a pontoon?” He replied, “A canoe”. I laughed. He smiled. I realized he was serious.

So, we took our cooler and our blanket and make our way to the dock. All the while I kept reminding myself I’d never done this before. I didn’t know what to do. I even asked Scott if we were going to take our cooler as I was afraid it weighed too much! He smiled and said, “Yes, it won’t sink the boat.” As if he read my mind!

The kind young man helped me get in the front. Scott got in the back so he could be the “stern”, having all the turning power. And, yes, our cooler made it on board, seated nicely between us, yet, not in reach. Oh, and our seats? They even had back rests, which was so nice. Once Scott was seated, the young man handed me an oar, and I quickly asked him what I was supposed to do with it. He laughed. I didn’t. So he told me to just put it in the boat, along with the two life jackets. And I did.

As we were pushed away from the dock, I went to turn around to talk to Scott and he quickly said, “Honey, sit down, sit still!” I didn’t know . . . it was amazing how much the boat turned to one side when I just turned around. As I quickly returned to my seated position, looking straight ahead, I’ll admit . . . my heart was racing after a near up close encounter with Price Lake.

But once I became more comfortable, in my canoe, on the water, I even put my oar in the water. Scott instructed me what to do and more importantly, what not do, like “don’t move.” As we were making our way around the lake we found the perfect spot for a picnic, but Scott was quite unsure we could dock the boat without getting everything soaking wet.

So we paddled on. As we made our way back, there was that same area, calling our names. I told Scott we could do it. I had no clue how, but I knew we could. So here we went. Our target? Between two big rocks. I thought how hard could this be? And you know what? We did it! And I couldn’t help but remember the tune to “Michael, (or in this case Susan) row your boat ashore, Halle-luuuuu-jah!”

Scott hopped into the water about knee deep, without turning me over, and pulled the canoe onto dry land so I wouldn’t get my feet wet . . . and, so the boat, I mean the canoe, wouldn’t float away. We spread out the blanket and had a very enjoyable picnic Scott had prepared for us, including a bottle of wine, cheese and crackers, olives, grapes and a big bag of Wavy Lays! As we enjoyed our picnic, we also had fun speaking, talking to passer-byers who were walking the trail around the lake.

Getting the canoe parked was one thing. Now we had to leave. I got in first while Scott pushed us out a bit before getting in . . . safely and without getting either one of us wet, once again. So, we continued to paddle around the lake before leaving for our final destination in Blowing Rock, NC. Again, a first for me.

Thinking back over our incredible time yesterday I thought about how my experience in the canoe is a lot like life:

·       When we didn’t paddle, the canoe began to drift.  

·       If we didn’t work together, it was more difficult to go the direction we were headed.

·       If I tried to turn around to see what was behind me, the canoe would begin to rock, becoming very unstable on the water.

·       As long as I was looking straight ahead, the canoe remained stable.

·       When other canoes were headed or crossing our way, we had to be intentional in our paddling to avoid any fender-benders, or in this case, canoe-benders.

·       While paddling along on smooth waters, we had to be careful of drift wood. Sometimes we could see it sticking up out of the water. Other times, it was very difficult to see until we were upon it.

·       I had to learn to trust the navigator, the one who controlled the rudder.

·       And finally, being open to new adventures? Makes life even better.