The Reservoir (and head) in the Clouds

Here’s a very short story about my annual pilgrimage to the mountain reservoir near my home. I rent an inflatable paddle board, lug it down to the water, spend at least 30 minutes trying to inflate it, then I push off onto the water. I always bring snacks, a water bottle, a large towel to nap on, sunscreen, and my little waterproof speaker (which I only power up when I’m far away from other water-adventurers).

The last time I went, my friend Casey accompanied me. After the usual struggle of inflating the boards, we pushed off onto the water. She took off ahead, and I kept paddling and paddling, but couldn’t seem to catch up. In fact, I was literally going in circles. What the hell? Did I forget how to paddle? Is my board broken? Approaching me is a man in kayak. He takes one look at me, and says “You might want to try turning the board around” and paddles off.

Well.

Jerk.

I was standing on the board backwards, like a dumb-ass. I wanted to shout back “THIS ISN’T MY FIRST TIME, I’M JUST AN IDIOT” but I’m not actually sure that would have made me look better.

So, here’s to trying to find moments to relax and find contentment, and to being an idiot sometimes.

Love,

April

Song of the Day: I’m On Fire by Chromatics