By Neal Wooten
I’ve always loved water. I started swimming when I was five years old and feel as comfortable in the water as I do out of it. I grew up swimming in the creek, the coal mines, at Desoto Falls, and on the Tennessee River. I just don’t care for swimming in the ocean. It’s not the water; it’s whatever might be swimming underneath the surface of it that worries me. You know, things with lots of legs and things with lots of teeth.
I also loved rafting and canoeing. I started kayaking when I was 18 and loved that too. This was back before they had sit-on-top kayaks and they were made for white-water rapids. You had to sit inside the kayak, wear a skirt that you used to seal the opening to keep water out, and learn to flip it upright in case you got turned upside down.
Wanting to do that again before my time expires in this life, whenever that will be, I had to lose enough weight just to be within the weight limit. Once I hit that, I ordered a brand-new bright-green kayak, and it was delivered last week. It’s the newer one where you sit on top and doesn’t require the skillset of the older kind. Whoever came up with that idea was a genius.
Saturday was beautiful weather with zero percent change of rain, so I hauled my new toy to a friend’s house in Blake. She has a nice pond where she kayaks often. It was the perfect place to test my sea legs again with calm shallow water and without a huge crowd of people watching me take the Nestea Plunge, which I felt certain I was sure to do.
I was wrong. I was able to get into the kayak fine, which surprised me since my right leg doesn’t bend very far. My balance came back to me quickly and I was able to glide across the pond with ease. We spent an hour, and I never took the plunge once. Getting out was a little tougher, but I still managed to do it and stay dry. I might even keep my hearing aid in next time.
It was a great day, and I was able to check off another item from my list. Some people have a Bucket List of things they want to do before they die. Me, I have a Butt Kick List of things I used to do and want to do again. No telling what I might try next: bungie jumping, spelunking, snow skiing, water skiing, skydiving, etc. The sky’s the limit. Well, the ocean’s the limit because I ain’t swimming with no sharks.
