October Break

I spent a lot of my free time this weekend going in a circle around Lake Michigan.

Some of my free time was spent in a kayak on a river in 40 degree temperatures (or cooler) in the rain.

This all ended up being a very good thing.

It’s hard to put into words just how much better I felt about myself and my life while I was out on the river, cold, wet, tired and fighting.  I was soaked through.  The shell of my winter coat is not as waterproof as I had always assumed.  Water made it through the coat, two sweaters, a sweatshirt and long underwear.  My torso, under the life jacket, was mostly dry, but my arms were drenched.

But I felt alive.  My mind was in contemplative mode while my body was getting a workout.  There was less chatter between my boyfriend & I this year than last year.  When we were both in one canoe, we were always able to talk easily.  When we were each in our own kayak, there was more range of motion.

I liked to race ahead, take the little sections of mild rapids as fast as I could, to really enjoy the speed and mobility of the kayak.  He mostly hung further back.

Of course, there were the numerous times I got stuck, many of which came from going quickly without paying much attention.  He would end up ahead of me on the river, and I would have to fight my way out of the holdup and catch up.

Being back at work today was very much a jar to my system.  I felt like I was overheating all night long, and more than once, I found myself wishing I were back and freezing on the river.