As the calendar winds down, making the slow descent to summer, a sense of excitement seems to fill the air. While spring births a type of calm beauty, the atmospheric shift towards summer is almost palatable, the anticipation is electric. Virtually everyone is abuzz with adventurous plans; family trips to Walt Disney World, romantic cruises to foreign lands, endless days spent frolicking in the ocean waves, weekend getaways, and so much more!
Summer seems to bring out the inner child in many of us; it takes us back to that time of innocence before the cares of adulthood were ours to bear. Who remembers riding bikes, swimming, and playing outside from sun up to sundown, stopping just long enough to eat? Or, summers spent camping, visiting grandparents, and going to Girl/Boy Scout, church, or 4-H camp? Summers of insect repellant, roasting s’mores, sleepovers, and NO SCHOOL!!
My inner-child, already alive and well throughout the year, really enjoys coming out to play during the summer months. She is always game for adventure, particularly the outdoor type; swimming, hiking, kayaking, water-skiing, traversing a ropes course, playing at the water park, being pulled behind a boat on an inner tube, climbing, parasailing, there are no limits to what she’ll do.
A few summers ago, my daughter, a friend, and I tried paddleboarding for the first time. All three of our birthdays are just a few weeks apart. My friend and I usually plan a birthday outing to celebrate the occasion(s). This year, after my daughter heard our plan, she decided she wanted in on the fun too. I was slightly nervous about balancing atop a floating board, but I felt there was no way anything could go wrong since I’m a strong swimmer.
Arriving at Texas Rowing Center on Lady Bird Lake in Austin around 10:30 a.m., we found we’d chosen our time wisely as the line started to grow quickly. Paddleboards are rented by the hour or day. We opted for the day rate simply because we wanted to relax and not be bound by the clock.
Riders are launched from the dock kneeling on the board. Gut instinct leans towards remaining in that kneeling position rather than risk toppling over while attempting to stand. All three of us overcame our fears and moved to stand within a few short minutes after launching.
Navigating through winds, currents, and other pleasure seekers can be challenging but not overwhelming. Our only plan was to make it past the one-hour point; otherwise, our decision to pay the daily rate would have been made in vain. We succeeded, spending three and a half hours exploring.
The docks are located off of Cesar Chavez, near Austin High School. We paddled from there all the way to Tom Miller Dam, turned around, paddled past the docks to the Congress Avenue Bridge, and then back to the docks, covering approximately 14 miles on our boards. The biggest challenge we faced was thirst. Three and a half hours baking in the sun with no water was brutal. Afterward, we each chugged three 16-ounce cups of ice water.
As we were winding down, my daughter may have glanced over at me and said, “This is why we can’t take you anywhere. You’re an overachiever who wants to kill us all.” I think maybe she was ready to call it a day just a tad before her old mom. There may have also been comments about “drunk paddling” despite consumption of absolutely no alcoholic beverages. It was all in good fun, under the banner of summertime, fun time.
The next day, I fully expected to be sore from using muscles I don’t usually call upon for running, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was not. My sport type SPF 50 sunscreen performed well, except for the tops of my feet that were accidentally overlooked, a small price to pay for hours of enjoyment.
Want to know the very best aspect of paddleboarding? According to My Fitness Pal, we burned 1095 calories!!!! I love it when pleasure and exercise collide because now not only is my inner-child happy, but so is the adult person, and she’ll let child me have a cookie. Win. Win.
So, if your inner child is begging to break free, why not let him or her rip? After all, that’s what summertime is for, isn’t it?
Until Next Time,
Becky J Miller
“Warrior Princess”
*Miller, Becky J. (2017, July 27). Living Outside The Lines: “Summer’s Inner-Child” – Corridor News. https://smcorridornews.com/living-outside-the-lines-summers-inner-child-2/