“There’s going to be a storm. Head back in”
We had just gotten out on our paddleboards and already Marc, our instructor told us to head back in. We had only been out for 20 minutes. We knew there was a risk that the storm would approach the lake of Zurich and it did.
A friend had suggested a stand-up paddleboard lesson and a group of us had gone for it. It was so crazy windy, we never got to stand up. We had graduated from lying on our fronts to kneeling. We were swept under some low bridges and then we were back onshore again.
We tried to find another date and a couple of weekends ago, we managed to find one that matched our schedules. This time, the weather was perfect! It was a cloudy day with little wind. It was colder so there weren’t many people out and about.
We put on our red t-shirts over our swimming gear, I got a string to keep my glasses in place, and off we went. My knees wobbled at the start but we were standing on our boards. YAY! We learned to change direction and turn on the spot. It was so cool and so much fun.
When we got back to shore, we asked when the season finished and Marc replied “Tomorrow”. We were super lucky to have gotten our lesson in and now we have to wait till May next year for the next season.
What did I learn? Don’t let a storm put you off because you never know when you are going to have the perfect conditions. Keep putting yourself out there.
Footnotes
1) https://www.supswiss.ch/index.php/de/ueber-uns
Similarly, thoughts as we go into winter with Covid:
. “Pre-Traumatic” Stress Management – If you think a storm is coming, also imagine yourself rising beautifully to the challenge when contemplating scary thoughts.
. “Even If” – Rather than “What If ….. X Happens”, say to yourself “Even If X Happens”, and then the positives to how you will respond or have help or gains from the experience, etc.
. “Equal Measure”. If you find yourself dwelling on the scary parts of a possible storm on the horizon, make sure you dwell on the positives that could be during or part of the circumstance “in equal measure”.