Introducing…Paula the Water Skier!
Water skiing on the Mississippi River was one of my favorite past times growing up. My grandfather owned a ski boat and we were a family of water skiers.
I absolutely loved to do this in the summer. We would pack up food for the day, grab our water ski equipment and swim suits and head the few miles to the boat dock. I was definitely not the best of the bunch and I’ve actually not skied since my teenage years now that I think about it.
My grandfather and aunt taught me how to water ski when I was pretty young and they felt confident enough about me being in the water. I can remember sitting in the boat watching my aunt ski who was really quite good and desperately wanting to learn to water ski. Finally the day came and she loaned me a pair of water skiis. I’m sure that I did not get up that first day.
4 Things I learned from Water Skiing:
- Trust: I learned that I needed to trust that the person watching me from the boat would see me if I fell – I wasn’t alone in the river and the boat/my grandfather would come back around to pick me up.
- Perseverance: I learned not to give up! Often many failures WILL lead to success! Do NOT give up! Boy have I seen this one play out in my later years!
- From Effort Comes Reward: There were so many times in the beginning, when I did NOT get up on the water skis. I was cold, tired, and sore! Eventually I figured it out and all the effort paid off!
- Feeling of Freedom: The feelings I had while water skiing were very similar to the feelings I had while riding on the back of my dad’s Harley. There was a pure sense of freedom and the knowledge that the world was vast and full of opportunities.
As I’m revisiting these childhood memories, I’m definitely noticing a recurring theme that I believed I learned at a very early age. I’ve always felt adventurous and optimistic and I can remember feeling that way as a child often in the types of activities I would enjoy whether riding on the motorcycle with dad, gliding across the Mississippi on my skis, sitting at my own little private beach or hiking to the top of the hill above our house. Ah yes…I was a little dreamer back then and I still believe in dreams today! 😉
