I tried stand-up paddleboarding for the first time on the Friday before school started. It was one of those things that I just wanted to try once, and I thought, “If I end up being able to stand, that would be cool,” but I didn’t really expect that I would get to standing.
My first time on the board was with Ruth from the L.L. Bean Center Valley Discovery School. I went out on Lake Nockamixon as part of a group of 5. After going over the basic terminology and the safety procedures, we practiced going from kneeling to standing when the boards were set out on dry land. Then we took the boards to the water. After we paddled out on our knees, our instructor invited us to shift from kneeling to standing when we were ready. I watched some of the others in the class go to standing, and they did fine. Their success was honestly a little distressing, because I really didn’t want to be the first in the group to fall into the water. I was rationalizing that it wouldn’t be such a big deal if someone else fell in & then I did, too. I just didn’t want to be the first one to lose my footing. Everyone else was standing, so it was time to try this…I stood up, and it was a very strange feeling. My legs felt shaky, but I got more comfortable as I went along. I enjoyed this experience so much that I started looking into when I could go out again. I checked if there was anywhere closer to home where I could go out paddleboarding.
Last Friday evening, I went to Lake Harmony. I had my second lesson with Morgan from Pocono Paddle & Fitness. At first, I was nervous; I thought I made a bad choice to go out for a lesson on Labor Day weekend when the lake was exceptionally busy with boat traffic, including people on jet skis. I ended up having a wonderful time again! As Morgan and I paddled on our knees to a calmer cove, we chatted and got to know each other. I was feeling comfortable and excited after reaching the cove and got right up to standing. Then, I practiced going back to my kness and back to standing again and again…and even learned a different way of getting to standing – the “pop-up.” I then remained standing for the rest of my time out on the lake. We travelled around the lake and then went back to where we started. I even navigated some decent-size waves from passing boats along the way.
When I did these two lessons, I asked both instructors if it would be possible for me to fall into the water “on purpose,” so that I could practice getting back on the board…just in case I ever fell off in the future. Both instructors agreed that this was a great idea. I believed that it would be much better to fall on purpose and to learn how to get back on the board when I was with an experienced instructor and while it was not an “emergency.” If I had actually lost my balance and fallen off of the board, I would have possibly been upset with myself or scared, and those emotions would likely have impacted my ability to get back on the board. Now, I know what to do if that ever happens, and I know that it’s not a big deal at all. I got back on the board easily. And the falling part was pretty fun, too!
Falling on purpose…just to prove to myself that I can handle any future spills I might take. That gave me confidence. I know that it’s not practical to do trial “falls” in every situation we might encounter in life, and I’m not advocating that we dress rehearse tragedy. Yet, it’s healthy to recognize that we will sometimes stand tall and we will sometimes fall…and when we fall, we can get back up again. Resilience allows us to live life fully – we can navigate both the ups and the downs with grace. We can be there to support others and cheer them on, and we can allow others to support us and cheer us on. This time, I fell on purpose. I know I will fall again, and it will not always be “on purpose,” but I know that I will make it back up to standing, and I will keep growing and living fully and welcoming new experiences and new challenges into my life.
Copyright © 2013 by Susan M. Featro, Voice Lifted