Embracing Life
Rowing may not always occur in smooth waters
Sometimes it takes a catastrophic event to get my attention. Planning and organizing my life and the lives of others are skills I mastered at a young age. Managing every moment, realizing my purpose and being dependable are ambitions that I not only excelled in, I was an obsessive over-achiever. But those fortes can be considered faults when they create a rigid life without room for error or spontaneity. My most vivid recollection of this passion to follow through with scheduled commitments also became the turning point in my life when I began to learn an important lesson: To go with the flow.Friday, March 12, 1993, I was having my van serviced, as that evening I was responsible for taking 24 Girl Scouts on a primitive camping trip. Food items were procured, gear packed, and permission slips signed. The oil change was the last detail to mark off my check list. Just as I began feeling quite pleased with myself for finishing all tasks ahead of schedule, the mechanic casually mentioned that a horrific storm was brewing.
I immediately dismissed his remark. Our local news channel had not reported anything of that magnitude — he must have heard an unreliable rumor. After paying my bill and purchasing last minute perishables, I proceeded home.
I was in my driveway filling coolers with ice when the telephone rang. It was a co-leader calling to caution me about an unusual weather system forming in the Gulf of Mexico.
“What should we do?” she asked.
Not wanting to disappoint anyone, I decided to proceed with the plan. Fortunately, a guardian angel was sent to our rescue. This supportive mother called to offer her living room for our camp-out, as the weather reports began to announce warnings of a dangerous storm about to ravage the eastern portion of the United States. She convinced me that it was a safe solution to our situation, and I reluctantly surrendered to her plan.
That night one of the most powerful weather systems in recent history, described as the Storm of the Century, struck with intense force. This massive cyclonic storm affected 26 states, was responsible for 300 deaths and the loss of power to more than 10 million people.
“The last blizzard to have such an effect on the Southeast was the Great Blizzard of 1899,” according to a Web site dedicated to the storm at answers.com/topic/storm-of-the-century-1993.
I later learned that the only entrance to the campground where I had planned to take my troop was inaccessible, due to destruction from a tornado. Those who camped that evening survived, but were trapped since downed trees and live power lines lay in the flooded road.
Fourteen years later, as I re-live this story, I remain filled with gratitude for the divine intervention and the opportunity to begin practicing how to row my boat gently down the stream.
The children’s song, “Row, Row, Row, Your Boat” is symbolic for making difficult choices. The boat refers to one’s self; rowing is a tedious talent, acquired via practice, to direct our journey around life’s challenges. Learning to joyously go with the flow was difficult for me — a detail-oriented scheduling fanatic who analyzed everything. The Storm of the Century taught me to embrace life with a much different approach.
A technique learned while white water rafting illustrates this philosophy. Being prepared to take appropriate action was required to negotiate the raft through the rapids, steer around the boulders and away from the waterfalls. In between those challenges we gently floated downstream, rather than paddling against the fierce current upstream.
Rowing merrily down the stream does not mean that I must live a passive lifestyle without plans. Strategizing for the future and following the flow complement, rather than contradict, each other. Finding the perfect balance takes courage; attaining that wisdom is my goal.
