Twenty-nine done ... 23 to go...

What: #6 Help someone do something new

When: July 30th
Where: Argo Park
Why: One of my dearest friends and biggest supporters of this list had wanted to try something new, and so I wanted to be the one to help her out. During our recent outing at the Jimmy Buffett concert (yep, that happened!), we discussed paddleboarding. This craze is hitting anywhere with access to a lake (pond, ocean, slow-moving river). I was first introduced to it last year, and have made the effort to go out many more times in Michigan, and even had my first paddleboard yoga experience a few months ago. This summer, the craze has hit Ann Arbor, so it made it easier than ever before to get out on the water and we took advantage of that for her maiden voyage atop the board. After some initial instructions regarding balance (always straddle the handle with a wide-ish stance, for starters), she was off and paddling, even starting upright from the beginning, whereas I had to start on my knees my first time. At first, the challenge was being in a river, and at a point where the river is flowing over a dam, because the current was pretty strong, and the winds of a passing rainstorm did not help matters. In fact, I felt less sure of myself than usual, so it was really impressive how well she was doing.

As we made it upstream, we came upon a paddleboard yoga class; maybe she and I will do that together our next time on the boards! For the next hour, we just paddled upstream, watching crew teams practice and kayaks paddle by us. We turned around a bend in the river and it felt magical, just seeing the woods and the lily pads and the wide river and no one else around us. The only thing that made us turn around was the incoming dark clouds we saw fast approaching. Fortunately, our return trip was with the current, and after getting through the wake of a few small motorboats, we stepped back onto the dock just as the first raindrops began to fall. Our timing prevented us from taking any candid shots out on the paddleboards, but we did get one of the beautiful scenery from our evening paddle! 

Sara was a quick learner...and she looked great!