Existentialism in the Great White North

Can I just say that it was such an exhausting, stressful day that I found this iceberg wake-boarding video from The Atlantic rather relaxing when I finally got back to the Squatter’s Paradise this afternoon. And I don’t usually watch videos on the internet.

When I was a little kid, water-skiing was a big thing on the moominbeach. The older kids and some of the parents (but not mine) water-skied and there were a few hotshots around who used a slalom ski, meaning they skied on one ski instead of two. In time, I learned how to water-ski too. I can still remember my first time. I was hanging back in the water with my skis on, wearing a life jacket and hanging on to the tow bar. A trusted adult (was it Barb?) helped hold me straight until the speedboat driver hit the gas. Miraculously, I was pulled up and out of the water. I was skiing!

Water-skiing was fun enough and I got comfortable enough with it to actually cross back and forth across the boat’s wake on a calm day. I didn’t like it when the bay was choppy and I hated falling and I never got anywhere near using a slalom ski although I’m sure I daydreamed about it.

Water-skiing was not a sport that I continued into my adult years or even very far into my teen years. I remember the last time I water-skied. It was kind of a choppy day and I didn’t exactly feel very well and my leg hurt for some reason and when the boat finally approached the shore to drop me off, my exit was anything but graceful. I crashed and burned. And then, I crashed and burned in my bed up in the moomincabin. When I woke up the next morning, my leg had this huge swelled up black, blue, and purple thing on it.

It was raining cats and dogs and elephants and rhinoceroses that morning and my uncle the doc was out of town (?) and so we ended up hunting down Doc V and he *lanced* the whole ugly mess and I was terrified and after it was all over I remember crying enough tears to match the deluge. Hey, I was 13. Of course I recovered but it was a few days before I could walk any distance. I don’t think we ever figured out what caused it. I’m guessing spider bite maybe?

Anyway, I never water-skied again. It was partly because of that experience, although I am sure that the guy in the video wouldn’t ever have let something as stupid as a spider bite stop him from iceberg wake-boarding. But I also have an interesting relationship with water. Although I loved to play in the water and learned how to swim at a pretty early age, I am really kind of a scaredy-cat. I have inherited (I think) a bit of a phobia about deep water. I mean sometimes there are… dun dun dun… cylinders down there. I am envious of anyone who doesn’t have this fear.

So, how was *your* day? 😉

4 Responses to “Existentialism in the Great White North”

  1. Margaret Says:

    Busy, tiring, and stressful–but not in an awful way. Just lots to do. Sorry about your day though. It’s tough to be dealing with things that are so out of one’s comfort zone.

  2. valdemort15 Says:

    I have to wonder if the deep water thing is somewhat inherent in the family.

    With regards to my day – BUSY. Better than yesterday when I was feeling *weird* and glad for the excuse of a mid-afternoon appointment with the chiro to go home early. Wasn’t sure at the time if it was the 6th sense at it again or just me. Turned out to be just me – low blood sugar or something. Been up since 5 am today, sore from my 6 am spin class (lots of high-resistance, high-RPM work), then sifted my way alternatively through some seismic (for class) and isotopic (for research) data. And started to write an abstract on some technical methods for error reduction in isotopic analyses . . .

    Miss you, KW. If I had the means to get up there, I would.

  3. Kathy Farnell Says:

    My dad went out and bought a pair of skis and decided that I should learn how to ski. We were renting the cottage on the E shore of the lake at that time before he bought the N.Shore cottage. Dad had the trusty 10 hp everrude engine (still in garage at present cottage) attached to the rowboat that came with the rental unit. Slow to get out of the water, and slow ride around in a circle. I guess I had fun, but when I finally had the chance to ski behind a more powerful engine, I enjoyed myself a little more. I haven’t water skied since I was about 18 yrs. old and I haven’t missed it.
    I do share the eerie feeling that you get when you fall in deep water and see the boat pulling away from you.
    I think that it was more fun tubing (old black tire tube) behind that 10 hp engine. GG probably remembers that.

  4. kayak woman Says:

    I actually think the deep water thing comes from the Mac side. I don’t think any of the other Fins have it.