Lessons from my paddle board, a seagull and a motorboat.

August 22, 2021

I did it. I took a few days off to just BE at our lake house with the family and do nothing together. 

Early on our first morning I was walking along the beach and the lake was perfectly still. I rarely see Lake Michigan so still. I had the thought “this is perfect for paddle boarding”. Next thought, “well, first I’ve got to get the dog walked, breakfast made for the family, cat feed, etc… Put it this way, the ‘do nothing to do list’ was just as long as my everyday to do list. I did not know how long the lake would be this still, so, I overrode all that and decided to take advantage of the moment. I grabbed my paddle board and hopped on the lake.

It was PERFECT. I mean absolutely PERFECT on the lake and I was in Heaven paddling along this massive still lake with no one in sight. It was just me, the lake, the sky and a few seagulls.

And….about 15 minutes into my peaceful bliss, a motorboat came roaring behind me.

I immediately tensed up and could hear myself think very unfriendly things about those “nasty” boaters messing with my zen. “The water was so still before THEY arrived.” I started to ‘other’ them and make them annoying, bad, and wrong for ruining my zen moment, as if I owned the lake. 😉 Tbh for a few minutes there, I did feel like the lake was all mine.

The water became choppy and I had to shift course, adjust my pace and use my core a bit more as the waves from their wake rolled not so smoothly underneath my paddle board. It was considerably harder to stay balanced than the last 15 minutes!  And then I looked to my left and noticed two seagulls in the water a few waves over. They were just peacefully floating on the extremely choppy water, riding the waves as if nothing had changed.

And that was all I needed to wake myself back up and remember.

In that moment, I noticed my unique pattern when I experience a challenge.  The way I resist is I first blame the other. “Those boaters!  How dare they boat, and ruin my moment.” 

I also noticed the part of me that likes life to be like paddling on a still lake, everything to be calm, easeful and peaceful.  No waves, discomfort or difficulty.

I make the waves bad and disruptive. But when I looked at the seagulls, they just rode the waves as if nothing had changed. It was simply another moment in time. And I reminded myself that I too can surrender to the choppy water and simply ride the waves without resisting them.

I learned so much in that moment. I learned how I can still resist what is. I learned how addicted I am to being comfortable. I learned about my entitlement and how I can make others bad when they disrupt my comfort. (This btw, is how we create separation amongst ourselves and in the world.)

I also learned how much I like things to stay the same and never change. But life is not like that. Life is full of change and our job is to learn to roll with the changes and learn to ride the waves rather than resist them.

So I did like the seagulls, I just let the choppy water take me. I tightened up my core, opened my breath, bent my knees and rode the waves. And you know what, it was fun.

Catch yourself resisting. Your body is your greatest teacher. Practice daily with my check in meditation to support you in building your awareness and learn to let go and trust so you can be free.

With gratitude and a deep breath,

Annmarie Chereso
Author, Speaker, Coach, & Meditation Teacher

PS: Tune in next week when I become the nasty boater 🙂