I have a rowing partner, she is like a rowing soulmate. We are the same size, like the same things in life, and she is the kindest friend when it comes to helping me be better at the sport. She's a competitor without a doubt. She's raced in regattas and she played competitive sports in college. She's a triathlete and driven. But she is my favorite person to row with for so many reasons.
So to share yesterday's row with her was to share in her joy and love of the sport and mother nature's wonders. She had set an ambitious goal for herself at the beginning of the season to get 100 rows in by close. Our season here is a crapshoot...one year we closed up the 3d week of September and last year it was still great on October 25th when we closed the boathouse. Some years we can go out in April, some years it is not comfortable until darned near Memorial Day. Some days the wind is horrible and you walk to the water to find whitecaps and go back home to bed.
A roll of the dice...
She has been out there devotedly moving along toward her goal. One row, she and I stopped to watch two small foxes play on shore. One row with the hubs, they watched a beaver swim next to the boat. Once she had a duck land on the double and stand there. One row she called us to a halt because an enormous fish had jumped just between her blade and the boat and soaked her. She's ventured out with another gal just into the pond area before you get to the river for two full moon adventures (rest easy, they have lights on the boats.) She loves the sport and she loves the journey we are on while rowing.
She is my Cruise Director who will stop us to watch the hot air balloons over the river, watch the bald eagles in the trees, the osprey fly into their nest at the railroad bridge. She will halt us to watch the sunrise over the church as we leave shore. She is my partner who will talk to me about life and all it brings as we move our way north one day, south another along the river another day, and watch the trees bloom and now start to turn their rainbow of colors.
She texted me Sunday to check and see how I was doing since my sweet Maya pup moved to Heaven the day before. She asked if I'd like to go out Monday afternoon and told me it would be #100. I was deeply honored to make that journey with her to celebrate. She has been there when Maya and Chico both left us in the last year and to be asked to celebrate this not only took my heart to a happy spot, it was an honor to be the one to be there. The hubs said he'd row next to us in the boat we own...named the Maya :)
We were so excited and to celebrate, the hubs and I went to the local florist and got a balloon to tie to the stern that said "CONGRATULATIONS!" This was no small feat and we wanted our dear friend to have a token of that on her 100th row.
To share in the joy of others. To be a part of their passion and celebration. What more could we ask for?
When we pulled up, it happened another rower also pulled up, coincidentally to take out a single on her own. The 3 of us looked at her and quickly decided the celebration would be best in the quad with all four of us rowing. The four of us have rowed quad several times before and we make a great team and enjoy each other's style and company.
Off we went. Through the slime the river has blessed us with at shore recently, through the weeds that have grown and catch on our blades to create an enormous effort to get out into the river. Past the ducks who are no longer tiny and following momma and now cruising on their own. The water was glass. The sun was beautiful. The trees are just starting to be kissed with reds, yellows and oranges.
And we celebrated our friend's accomplishment with a beautiful journey north up the river watching it all and laughing. Celebration for her, healing for me.
The balloon did not remain airborne but fell to the water like a skier making waves the whole way upstream. We laughed at the whooshing sound it made in the water as we stroked along in the beautiful sunshine. We wondered if it would last the entire trip so she could take it home or would pop along the way like champagne to further the celebration.
We all commented over and over again what a perfect day it was. The water, the sun, the air, the company. But it was perfect because we shared in the joy of another and celebrated her accomplishment with such joy and laughter together.
Coming in the sky was beginning to cloud, the air beginning to cool. We had been out close to 90 minutes, give or take. It seemed like 15. We pulled blades in, lifted that monster to our shoulder to go to the boathouse to clean it. When we finished, we all congratulated Cruise Director and made sure she had her balloon. It had survived #100.
Thank you sweet friend and rowing partner. To be blessed to share your joy in this accomplishment was an honor. The hubs and I are so proud of you making your goal and so proud to be called your friends. Our lives are fuller with you in it and sharing life with you...in and out of the rowing season and a boat. I am blessed that you asked me to be with you on #100 because you have truly given me a gift in being such a great friend. I am so honored to share your joy. Cheers to you and all of your hard work this season...and do you think we could row double on Saturday...make it 101...Sunday for 102... ;)
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