Row
Sometimes you choose to jump in a kayak with someone, with no idea where you will go, and that’s the beauty of it, only aiming you will both discover amazing places with a different perspective of things than the one you would have if simply waking apart in the land. So you sit on it, one in front of the other, at least for a start, you might change positions later, but also explore and adjust gears through the journey, when you take turns based on who is more focused along the way. So, they give you a paddle each, and you think it’s an easy one, right and then left, and we will be fine, but when you both paddle with your initial excitement, smiling about sharing this new adventure, you realize that you go everywhere but straight, you go sideways or diagonally, paddling out of sync, in strength, timing, and effort, so you might start flagging that partner is doing this or that, ask to follow, or to calm down, or to speed up, and vice versa, but that mutual discussion only makes things worst and you are probably going in circles now, which can become despair for some and laugh for others. It might also be that one says “I need a rest, please”, while the other one can just wait or maybe try to go ahead to help the common effort, sometimes from the back to provide power or from ahead to help with the steering, and also why not, to practice on its own. But after that calm, when they both recover their breath, they can choose to have another go, but this time, ready to listen, to better understand the other one's pace, to alternate moves, or sink the paddles together, and although they slightly twist to the right, and then to the left, they magically start to sail forward, quietly, trusting each other on their part in the adventure, taking turns if needed but calmed enough to stop looking at the position and rotation of their hands, and to look beyond their boat, to connect with all those amazing landscapes they are passing through, excited to go faster sometimes to get to places or to chill and rest on others, strong to surpass some waves or to deal with unexpected rapids, teaming up on shared silences. Sometimes we jump in a kayak that is named mature love.
2022
​
​