Kayak4Ever

Today is a gorgeous day in the southeast. A beautiful sunny day that’s not too hot. A perfect day to be on the water. I was supposed to be on the river today. Tim and I packed the car last night for a weekend of kayaking and camping with friends in North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. My dad, who is here for an extended visit, was equally ready for a weekend of housesitting and looking after our cats.

When I got up this morning, though, I found that Dad was disoriented due to complications with some of the medication he takes. I also noticed he’d cut the top of his head at some point in the night. He had a little gash that needed to be cleaned and covered with a big band-aid. Turns out he was washing dishes during the night (part of being disoriented) and had collided with the corner of an open cabinet door. Dad didn’t realize the cut had been bleeding. At that point I realized I wasn’t going on a kayaking trip this weekend.

Since my husband and I had plans to meet up with other boaters…including two friends who are newer to kayaking…and we were going to be their safety boaters…we decided Tim should go on with the weekend plan. I would stay home to be with Dad. I was bummed. Tim was bummed.

So instead of enjoying a fun day on the river, I appreciated sitting outside with Dad and puttering around the house together. We talked about what we might eat today and had a series of nonsensical conversations about people and events that I knew weren’t actually related. I figure it’s fine for Dad to meander this way through topics - blending past with present - when the facts aren’t what really matters. Basically, he is telling stories and I am listening. In a few days, when we get his meds adjusted, Dad will be back to normal - thinking clearly and feeling fine to stay on his own for a weekend.

Since this blog is about adventures in kayaking when you are over 40, it occurred to me that an important part of the adventure is setting the right priorities in life. For me, this weekend, taking care of family trumped kayaking. I’m sure on other days, under other circumstances, I’ll decide to put kayaking first. I think living is a lot like running rapids. I just gotta look ahead, stay loose, and keep a blade in the water.