Tangled Messes

Every now and then most of us get into a mess and wonder how we got there, why we stayed there and how are we going to extricate ourselves with as little damage to ourselves as possible. Sound familiar? Sure it does. When messes happen, life turns into a mangrove swamp a bit like the one above. Definitely no place to be even though in the beginning it seemed great! Now even the water's murky and not very inviting!

But, kayaker's do have an option not available to others. We can get into our boats, and actually paddle away from our tangled lives, leaving the messes behind. Lots and lots of people do it! Some have to paddle a bit farther than others, they have made bigger messes, but in the end, nearly all of us can find a way ahead that's a bit more open, where the water's a bit more clear. With a better perspective on things, we can often come to our senses and fix the messes we've helped create. And all because kayaking offers us a special gift. It gives us time to reflect and think in a natural setting.

As a followup to this, in an article in yesterday's Globe and Mail, five Inuit students and their instructor are pictured with their traditional style qajait in Chesterfield Inlet this past summer. They're actually helping themselves solve another mess. Instead of wondering where life will be leading them (if anywhere), they've begun to see how they might re-connect their past with their future using qajait as the medium. Good for them!