Last week some of my sister in law's family came for the week, for what is now a traditional July 4th week vacation. One of the things we did was tube down the Muskegon river. I, personally, LOVE the water and really just want to live one a lake and retire! Or by any body of water for that fact.
I noticed a couple of things:
1. At my age and the condition of my once athletic and limber body, the best option is to just sit in the tube and float. Trying what the kids did probably wasn't the best idea. Rolling over on your stomach to watch for fish, or getting out to swim with the current or just hanging on in the middle of the tube while your legs drag the bottom, are not good ideas for someone like me.
2. There is NO graceful way to get off a tube in a current.
3. Trying to jump back onto your tube is just about as graceful as #2. For me, it was impossible.
4. Having to navigate over to the shore in order to stand up on solid ground in order to get back onto your tube puts you way behind the group.
5. Said group are not going to wait for you. You are on your own!
6. My family is competitive but also "harsh" - and by harsh I mean you don't usually get away with doing anything. You will be laughed at and possibly mocked.
7. It is one of the most relaxing things to do, especially on a beautiful, sunny day.
8. 2 1/2 hours is just enough time.
9. My mom would have LOVED it.
10. However, the most important thing I re-learned, is that undercurrents can be really dangerous and you don't know they are there until it's too late.
You wouldn't think that a river would have such a swift current. A lot of the way down is in shallower water, and by just looking, you don't see much movement underneath. But step out and boy is it there! I forgot how hard they can be to maneuver in. Which is one reason I had such a hard time jumping back into the tube. An undercurrent can take you down pretty quickly and it is difficult to get your balance.
I remember once as a kid getting caught in the undercurrent in the ocean and being scared to death! I am pretty sure I thought I would die. Here's the thing about them:
a. you can't see them until you are caught in it.
b. you lose control and balance.
c. you have to fight to get that balance back.
d. while not being able to "see" it, it is extremely powerful.
e. sometimes you need others to help you get out of it.
We all have undercurrents in our lives. Things that we, and maybe even others, can't see, but they are there non-the-less. These things cause us to lose our balance in life, and sometimes our focus on God. They are powerful and seek to control us. For me some of these currents are: worry, doubt, fear of abandonment, fear of being alone the rest of my life, depression, anxiety, just to name a few.
Here is the other thing about undercurrents: most of the time you know they are there. Either by experience or someone telling you. So you can be prepared. You can be ready to fight or combat it. This is the same with our earthly undercurrents. I know these things are there and I need to know how to combat them. Some days I know they are coming and some days one of them may sneak up on me. I have learned and am continuing to learn how to be prepared for them. Speaking truth - God's truth and sometimes just plain human truth; pray; scripture; for me, music. Sometimes we/I need e. above: others to help us/me get out of the undercurrent.
Thankful for those others who help me and are never going to "let me go" to get swept out into the ocean.
ibprofin is another key to a 2 1/2 hour tubing ride for this broken down body!
