Oct 28, 2019

Got ourselves a tippy canoe off Craigslist for $80! This little boat was a gift to each other in celebration of anniversary- Two years of The Folklore House, and 4 years married.

Apparently, the man who owned this boat before us used it frequently to fish, well into his 80’s. On his last venture out, a large heron liked this man’s idea for dinner and dive bombed toward the canoe- snatching a fish, and overturning the wobbly boat. Sweet old man took a swim. After nearly drowning, the man decided it was time to retire his hobby, and now the boat is ours.

I couldn’t help but imagine the man in the boat, as we took it out for a quick loop. It’s fall and not the best time to swim.

Not unlike our marriage, we hit the surface with excitement, and quickly, after finding deep water, realized it takes intention, attention, and effort to keep a sense of balance and the magic a float.

One of us lost focus and looked to their phone just minutes after we started pushing our paddles on the maiden voyage, and boy we almost ended up in the swim. Hold up, wait a minute, better course correct.

A canoe is a great anniversary gift. It makes visible our invisible imbalances, allowing us to see how we might throw things off, also leading us to learn we’ll need to be present for it to be any fun in the boat. The anchor of enjoyment is to keep in mind our place and space in time. Two people not paying attention to their weight against the other and you’ll wobble wobble wobble.

Looking forward to more boat rides and many lessons in honing our skill of a steadier glide. ✨