Paddling down a slow moving, deep part of a river, the paddler is relaxed in her canoe. Mind drifting. It's a beautiful day.
She notices that a few hundred feet ahead now are rapids. She hears them first. The sound brings her back to the moment. Rapids are a delight, part of the reason she loves being on the river, but also can be treacherous. She slowly stands. The river at this point is picking up a little speed but still slow so standing for her is no trouble; she still moves deliberately, staying balanced, to her feet. She gazes at the rapids ahead.
A feeling of excitement and a little trepidation washes over her. She acknowledges these feeling, lets them go, and turns her attention back to seeing the rapids, seeing them as they are, accepting them and asking herself "what is the best way to effectively shoot these rapids?" She knows from hard experience that just winging it, hoping that she hits the right angle, is not particularly useful and often leads to capsizes and worse.
She's noticed two possible entries. And now she takes a moment, letting her emotion and her reason come into balance. She's an experienced paddler , despite some reasonable caution, her wise mind tells her she can take these rapids.
What's the lesson?
Thursday, May 24, 2012
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