13 Life Lessons from the Seat of a Kayak (Part 3)

by Annie Yorty

I recently learned that kayaking down a creek with a group of teens is a wonderful metaphor for life. By now you may have already read Part 1 and Part 2 of 13 life lessons from the seat of a kayak. If not, click the links to read the first nine lessons. Then read the final four life lessons from the seat of a kayak PLUS a bonus.

The Final Four Lessons PLUS a Bonus!

1. Look out for each other.

As a chaperone on this water adventure, I was simply a warm body required to maintain a certain adult to child ratio. To describe me as warm that morning might be slight hyperbole, but I knew I hadn’t been recruited for my stellar kayaking skills. Yet I felt the weight of responsibility, especially for the kids who hadn’t kayaked before. Though I’m not sure how helpful I would have been in a true emergency, I usually positioned myself near the end of the pack to make sure no one straggled behind.

I was pleasantly surprised, though, by how much the teens cared for one another. Screaming or shouts usually heralded a kayak in distress. Others nearby (even those downstream) would quickly maneuver to their side to offer advice or help. There was no blame. No condemnation. Just help.

Lesson learned? The buddy system works well on the water and in life. Keep an eye out for others and be ready to help.

2. Sometimes you must jump into the water to help someone.

By now you probably have the impression the water temperature was icy that late October day. Unlike balmy summer kayaking, no one wanted to get wet. But a few situations necessitated voluntarily jumping out of the boat and into the frigid water to help a stranded kayaker.

One time in particular, a kayak with two girls grounded between rocks. The water rushing around them could not fully drown out their cries as they pushed and strained in vain to move. Two friends carefully navigated to their precarious position. At first, they shouted instructions and then leaned over to grab onto the wayward kayak to push. When that failed, one of the young men got out of his kayak to help while the other held it in place. By the time I made it to the scene, he had shoved the girls out of their kayak prison.

Wet from the waist down, he leapt back into his kayak. Chattering teeth competed with laughter as he and his buddy continued downstream. I’m sure his frozen legs did not thaw for the rest of the day.

Lesson learned? Helping others is rarely convenient or easy. It’s difficult to do from afar. It usually requires personal sacrifice of comfort, time, and resources. But God’s Son, Jesus, rescued us at great personal cost, so shouldn’t we be willing to do the same for others?

3. Plans change.

Eight miles on the water was our plan that day. We hoped to make it down the creek and into the scenic Antietam National Battlefield before pulling out. You may have already guessed from these lessons that we never made it that far. Between the drama of obstacles, inexperience, numerous pauses, and backtracking to help others, we only made it halfway.

While it’s tempting to feel disappointed by the shorter distance, eight miles was only our plan, not our goal. Our goal was much bigger. We wanted to learn about life, others, and God through a Man vs. Nature experience. In that sense, we can say, “Mission accomplished!”

Lesson learned? Finishing the journey of life well is not about accomplishing earthly plans. Know and join God’s eternal goals.

4. Tell your stories to others.

“There was so much water sloshing around in my kayak. I thought I’d sink!”

“I got soaked saving Ashley and Makayla when they got stuck. I’m f-f-freezing!”

“My kayak turned around on that big rock and I went through the chute backwards. I almost peed my pants!”

“I can’t feel my feet anymore!”

“My kayak scraped a rock and got a hole. Ms. Bender’s husband traded with me.”

In the car on the way home that afternoon, we all laughed as the girls shared their stories. While we went as one big group, our kayaks strung out down the creek like lights on fence posts. Every kayak told its own stories. It was fun to hear about the good, the bad, and the soaking of life lessons from the seat of a kayaks that happened along the way.

Lesson learned? Sharing stories of trials and triumphs uplifts us all.

Bonus life lesson from the seat of a kayak: Expect the unexpected.

The kayak outfitter should have had a giant announcement at the entry point: “You WILL get wet on this ride!” Yes, you’re probably thinking that’s obvious when you put more than two dozen people in kayaks on a creek, but not everyone considered the possibility. And accidental dowsing wasn’t the only unexpected thing we faced that day.

Rushing water, rocks, fallen trees, low-hanging branches, and other kayakers all brought circumstances we didn’t foresee. Sometimes we got turned around, shooting downstream backwards or sideways. We got stuck. Occasionally, we crashed.

Even our early exit was difficult and stressful. We received instructions via text message about the location of the exit point. It turns out the pull-out was a small rickety ladder laid up against a steep muddy embankment under a train bridge. I was one of the first to arrive.

“There’s no way!” I may have exclaimed in horror.

Yes, I know I’m the adult, for Pete’s sake! But that was a momentary lapse in adulting, with good reason. First, there was nothing to grab onto while waiting our turn to pull out. Twenty-five kayakers convened and paddled furiously to avoid being swept by the current past the pull-out. And even if I could drag my fifty-something-year-old body up the small ladder to scramble up the embankment—and I was skeptical, how in the world was my kayak getting out of the water? I knew my puny muscles were not up to the task.

But two young men in the group climbed out first and lifted out all the kayaks one by one. I miraculously did haul myself out of my kayak and up that slippery ladder to join a chain of people helping to transfer equipment from the water to the waiting transportation.

Lesson learned: It’s best to know from the beginning that the unexpected will happen. It helps us to set our minds on reality instead of fantasy. But if we work together through the unexpected, we will persevere to the end.

The Bottom Line

Once we got on the water that morning, we were going down the Antietam Creek one way or another. There was nowhere to pull out. So we did our best to point the tips of our kayaks downstream, face whatever came head on, and learn our life lessons from the seat of a kayak.

Life is like that too.

We can’t jump off the ride. Inevitably, troubles impede our flow. So we must trust God to navigate through by the best path, persevering to the end. Along with the thrills, spills, chills, and shrills, we will find joy, beauty, laughter, and friends.

Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him (James 1:12 NASB).

Join the conversation:

Who’s ready to join me on my next kayaking trip? 😊

Seriously, which is your favorite of my 13 life lessons learned from the seat of a kayak?

I welcome your comments!