Soup on Wednesday: Food for Thought - Rowing

One of the themes I seem to come back to quite a bit on this blog is that of "simplicity" - whatever that might mean to you - and how sometimes our simple solutions can be not only sustainable, but also pleasurable. With this weeks texts being about Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem and/or the passion narratives, and with what? ... a week and a half of Lent left. I thought it might be worth reflection upon one aspect of how this all might work. After all, the discipline of giving something up for Lent is a way to re-orient (repent = turning around) and develop some new habits.

Rowing
I'm not talking about the 200 meter dash collegiate/Olympic type events - although I enjoyed that in my college days. Nor am I talking about rowing the larger cruiser-type sailboat - although I might mention that I find it interesting that France requires an oar long enough to row/scull said boat as part of each boat's emergency kit, and as such engine use is down. I'm talking about dinghies.

Cheap inflatable boats (the type you might buy for fishing or for the swimming hole) don't row well. I know, I've used them, and yes, I even rowed all three of my kids to shore in one (that' when the used to all fit), turned around, rowed back out to our boat to give my wife a lift. I'll tell you, the advantage is that your upper arms get a great work-out. By the way, we made our black Labrador retriever swim. He enjoyed it. It was ok for a vacation.

Hard dinghies row the best. A couple of years ago we made our own to our own design. The idea was that they could both stack one a top the other, and both store on deck. In addition, I thought it would be great if they could attach together to form a larger dinghy (still haven't done that - nor add the sail rig). We enjoy rowing around an anchorage. We enjoy exploring this way. It allows us a time to show down an see things, to enjoy the challenge of trying a "short cut" through a shallow channel. It has given our kids hands on experience of what happens when rowing for different positions, how the boat handles in waves, current, and breeze. In essence, it has taught us all seamanship. That's been one of the payoffs of rowing. And did I mention it's sustainable?

However, I must admit that we are often one of the few who are actually rowing. Most folks are zipping around with large engines. To each their own. But it is worth thinking through not just in terms of sustainability, costs, and fun, but also in terms of "What is our purpose of being out on the water?" For us, it's about connecting (one again, and again and again) with his natural world - this piece of paradise, the Garden. Rowing helps us to do that.

Blessed Be

Joel

PS - Bob at Boat Bits and VolksCruiser has two interesting posts about rowing, too: Seconds count ... and How Not to Worry about ...