At the beginning of each summer, I am a pinata packed full with wild ambitions. All winter I have been cooped up plotting and planning, wishing and dreaming. When spring hits it’s almost like a race for me to do all of the things I have wanted to do, but been unable or uninspired due to the extreme cold weather, or a mucky spring.
Towards the end of May earlier this year, I joined my partner Bao and some of her family/friends for a kayaking and canoe trip on the Kickapoo river. I remember having hesitations about going. It's typically difficult for me to commit to full day social activities due to my anxiousness and busy schedule, but I knew it would be a positive experience so I grabbed some swimming trunks and a film camera and headed out with the crew. I think there were about 10 of us, and we took a path that was estimated to be 4-6 hours. At the beginning I paired up with Bao in a canoe and after getting through the first couple turns I was sitting in the back and I just laid back and we floated. It was such a relaxing feeling, but short lived as we had to continue navigating the waters and keep up with the crew. Along the way we shared laughs as our inexperienced crew struggled, we stopped at little islands for breaks and snacks, I snapped a few photos, and eventually we approached a group jumping off of a small cliff into the water. It was quite the adventure and a refreshing start to what would become an eventful summer.
For the next few weeks I swore to all of my friends that we would get out on a kayak trip this summer, “We have to do it, we will definitely do it”, I convinced them. Well, I never made it back out this summer, but I do have the memories of how inspiring it was. In 2023, as soon as the weather is above 75º, I'm getting a group of friends together to go out. We will definitely do it, we have to.
