The Day I Didn't Die

front row: Jackson, Ahlea, Mark and Talia; middle row: Ashton, Braeden, Geri, Emma, Tice, Jamie, Me and Megan; back row: Kain, Adam and Brian

I was terrified to go white water rafting.  Terrified.  I had trouble sleeping the night before.  I tried to figure out a way to get out of it.  I lamented my lapse in judgment.  Why had I decided to go?


Why?

Among death and dismemberment (and the release they had me sign didn't help much) my fears included being cold.  I don't like to be cold. 


They had wet suits.  Hurray!  I asked if I could wear one. The guide gave me a skeptical/pitying look and said, "If you want to..." 


I did.

 it took all of our best efforts to get me squeezed into the wet suit--and by squeezed, I mean I felt like Scarlet O'Hara

I was the nerd of all four rafts, the only one in a wet suit.  But I was a warm nerd.

 

Emma had a LITTLE more enthusiasm than I did.

Contrary to my fears, I loved white water rafting (granted we had a fairly easy run...nothing over a level 3 which means nothing to me but it's the lingo I picked up).  It was just the right amount of exhilaration and adventure for my cowardly self.

that's me, in the baseball cap

Here's Braeden "riding the bull" with his feet out in front and one hand on the "chicken line".  I didn't ride the bull.  In case you were wondering.

Mark decided he loves to row.  He kept trying to get the guide to have us use the paddles.  The guide (in the purple and yellow hat) let the kids try the big oars at the back of the raft.

There were heroics:  Adam pulled Talia out of the roiling water when she fell off the raft while "riding the bull".


There was teasing:  Braeden let this little bug that landed crawl all over him.  Mostly because it had made his cousins squeal in horror.  Braeden named the bug Sterence...then it flew away.

There was plenty of water for Braeden and Emma:  they swam the last mile, bobbing over the rapids while my heart palpitated and I worried for their safety.

Here's Emma:  diving in, unable to resist all that water.

Mark did his best to terrify me by standing on the edge of the raft while the water was calm.  I knew he can (sorta) swim.  I knew Adam would reach in and save him.  Still.  I've spent a lot of time and energy in keeping my kids alive.  It's hard to abandon those instincts even when Mark thought he was terribly clever.

That's Adam's hand.  I kept saying, "Grab him Adam."  Adam kept disobeying but he did keep his hand there for my benefit.

I have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.

Mark Twain

I spend way too much of my life worrying about what might happen when it usually turns out just fine.


Someday I'll learn my lesson but in the meantime, it's nice to be surprised when I don't suffer a watery death with my head bashed in from a sharp rock.

I made it!