Hello all!
Don’t scroll down yet (I’m sure many of you did already but if you haven’t, wait)! If you’re like me, you’ve probably already looked at the image below and asking what is going on?. I will get to the image shortly but before that, let’s talk about what you cannot see:
1. My zeal to continue writing. I love to write (poems mostly) and took a hiatus to focus on other aspects of life. Reading other posts on Local Guides Connect has actually sparked my interest to share more of my experiences.
2. The Shenandoah River. I was in the middle of this river which cuts through Virginia and West Virginia (in the United States) and joins the Potomac River in Maryland.
3. I had not had my lunch yet.
Now let’s talk about what you can see:
1. I am on a kayak. Yes, not ideal and not what they teach you doing the briefing before you get on a kayak, but I am technically on.
2. My courageous friend. She’s truly taking one for the team by kind of multitasking.
3. The beautiful scenery. Once you finally focus on the background, you’ll see the lovely green trees. I recommend kayaking during the springtime!
Back to the story. I enjoy kayaking and have been a number of times (I believe 8 times now). One thing about skills or hobbies is that the more familiar you are with and practice it, the more confident you get. So of course, after successfully going kayaking the first four times, I felt like I had mastered the sport to say. I decided to have a race with my friend since the river was clear at the time. There was also a bit of boasting going on about my skills from my end! All was good until it was time to turn the boat and redirect it left. Long story short, my kayak flipped over. This picture was taken after I panicked and quickly climbed up my friend’s kayak, even though my kayak was about 25 feet away. We all laughed about the situation soon after.
Lesson learned: be confident but stay humble. Also, prepare for the unexpected (life has a funny way of taking different turns)!
For the safety enthusiasts, yes we did follow kayaking protocols so we were not in danger. We were also in the shallow end where it was only about 7 feet deep.
Have any questions or comments? Let’s hear it!
Chinonso Onukwugha