Ok, there were no anchors. But there was a boat, if you're the sort that calls a canoe a boat, (it floats on water and is used to move people and things to other places, right?) and I am that sort.
I have a hard time sitting still under the best of circumstances. It's particularly difficult when I have a lot on my mind. It's as though the more I need to still my mind, the harder it is to still my body.
I have a lot on my mind these days. If I had to put them under topic headings I would list such things as "Parenting", "Money", "Parenting", "Teenagers", "Parenting" and "Parenting".
Canoeing is not high on my list of "things I like" particularly for this reason - you have to sit still in a canoe. Other than paddle and look around, there's nothing to do. Nothing. But many of hubby's family like canoeing, and the girls do too, so that's how I ended up in a canoe last week, paddling across the Detroit River to Peche Island. And since we had three and four to a boat (four boats!) I got to just sit and watch the world go by for quite a while.
Americian readers will be happy to know that the US Coast Guard helicopter was watching our little flotilla very carefully, particularly when we put ashore on a ten-foot square patch of sand on the American side of the island. (perfect - I go from doing nothing but sitting to doing nothing but standing because with fifteen people hugging the edge of the brush there's no room to even pace restlessly)
I made this grand sacrifice because it was the WHOLE family - all our kids, plus cousins. Unless you have teenagers, particularly teenagers with jobs, you have no idea how rare this can be: everyone all together with no screens, no cell phones (in case of tipping, people will eventually dry, cell phones won't). No gift shop. Nothing to do but interact with one another. Interaction that doesn't involve "pick up your socks" or "did you eat" or "what time will you be home?"
It was good. We eventually stopped at a second, larger beach, and the kids played at the egde of the water and we ate a snack, and looked at "the home shore" which was only several hundred yards away. For one brief afternoon, we were all able to step outside of the noise and activity and busyness of an average day.
OH, and I stepped out of my flipflops and into the canoe as we paddled away, and didn't noticed I'd left them on the island until we were back on shore. That's how good I got at sitting still.
If you happen to come across them, don't worry about returning them. Losing them has given the kids something to tease me about for a lifetime.
