Last week, while fly-fishing in Colorado, I had an opportunity to try something new, something that was sure to be fun and enjoyable. I got to go kayaking with friends.
It’s A Small Boat
A one-person kayak is a small craft. It’s designed to be small. You just sit on it and paddle; kind of “gliding” and “sliding” over the surface. Only swimming gets you closer to the water.
An Amazing View
The clear, relatively shallow mountain water allowed for a grand view of whatever was beneath the surface. On top were ducks, Canadian Geese; and large trout rising to breakfast on the early morning hatch of insects.
Occasionally, an eagle would grace us with its seemingly effortless, soaring flight. The views were amazing.
It Wasn’t All Grand
I did make some mistakes. There are techniques for avoiding the exposed boulders, fallen trees, and for navigating the swirling waters where the river turns.
On one such turn, the current pushed me into the bank, but still moving down stream.This all happened very quickly. Just a few feet ahead of me, a big blue spruce had some limbs extending over the water. My plan was to lift the branches and drift under them. The branches didn’t budge. I did.
Before I could say, “Uh Oh,” I was in over my head. Of all the places to fall, I managed to fall into deeper water. Did I mention it was icy cold? I had a life vest and wasn’t in any real danger, but when I couldn’t touch the bottom, well, it was a little scary.
A Little Help Please
What I didn’t know, was that the moment I went into the water, so did my friend. In just a few moments, he was close and was giving help and reassurance. The current quickly carried us to shallower water. He helped me up, got my kayak flipped over, and off we went again.
My friend was watching and wasn’t going to let anything happen to me. He stayed close, backing me up with tips and pointers and making sure I noticed the beauty of the day.
Some Heavenly Help Please
Sometimes I fall in other ways. When I do, Jesus is never more than a few feet away and he always helps me up. When I go in the water, he goes too. That’s how he is. At some point, I’ll fall again, that’s just life. But I’ll never fall alone.
To Close
I had a great time on the river; it was fun, exciting, and beautiful. But I would never have tried it alone. A friend made all the difference.
We don’t have to live alone.
Rick Fyffe 