"You
gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you
really stop to look fear in the face."
--Eleanor
Roosevelt
Reflections from an ever learning sojourner...
I believe that some of the greatest
life lessons with the most growth potential initially come wrapped in not so
pretty and very messy packages that we would prefer not be gifted to us.
A few days ago, I was given one of these learning opportunities.
Two of my children, Braden and
Madison, were home for a few days' visit and Braden's fiancé, Alyssa, was also
here with him. We thought it would be a fun adventure to buy some
intertubes from Big O Tires and tube down the Poudre River in the Poudre
Canyon. My husband, Michael, and I had seen people doing this last summer
and it looked like so much fun! We even scoped out the river the day
before to decide the furthest possible point of entry to avoid the spillways
and take a look at the speed of the current. At that time, I made mental
notes that there were a couple of areas where the rocks were too abundant and
jagged creating turbulent rapids, and that I preferred not to tube
through those. I also made a point to express to the family that we had
to have good shoes on to protect our feet from the rocks. My expressed
concerns about the rapids and jagged rocks and the importance for shoes were a
little poo pooed at first as if I was being overly cautious, but I paid no mind
to the skeptical looks I received from some of my family members. I'm a
mom, and it's in my nature to protect those I love and to be wisely prepared
for the unknown, especially because in the Poudre Canyon there is no cell phone
service whatsoever (with any provider). So unless you find that rare call
box somewhere along the long stretch there is no ability to call for
emergency personnel in case of an emergency.
