Doing or having done so?

“I hate writing. I love having written.” The Dorothy Parker quote was tossed my way last night by a friend noting how sanguine I seemed, having returned from the somewhat complex kayak adventure I led last week. But, she was wrong.

I enjoy the research and planning. That’s where you get to make choices to optimize the event. True, there are apprehensions. Is the information accurate? Did you omit a great alternative? You have to consider that, but not dwell upon it. You can make adjustments on the fly.

The execution is another matter. I get into a focused zone making it work. In this case, we had 24 kayakers and several complicated road routes and rivers to negotiate as a coordinated group. In the midst of this (when we unsuccessfully tried to pull together an all-inclusive group photo), one of the paddlers observed that herding cats is child’s play compared to kayakers.

But, it all came together with hardly a hitch, which is the pleasure in this phase. It wouldn’t have been as easy to be serene about it if it hadn’t. But, you learn to roll with the blows. It’s a microcosm of life. There are always setbacks. You take a lesson and move on.

And yes, there is immense satisfaction when you’ve pulled it off. I can almost feel the breaths coming easier when that last boat is dragged from the water at the end of the week. There’s definitely a glow. While I did appreciate the follow-up thanks and accolades from participants, I’m in the best position to know what kind of job I did.

Faithful readers might wonder how the aforeblogged factors came off. The weather was pretty good. There were a couple cool days and some spotty rain, but nothing to interfere with the fun.

Manatees? We were virtually immersed in them. The cooler day was a blessing as they congregated at the warm spring I selected.

Partying? As predicted, this group took care of that. It didn’t matter if we were at the campground, bar or river, the party was portable. One newcomer commented that it was quite a cast of characters. Yes, and with a cast like this, who needs a script?

Unlike Ms. Parker, I enjoy the process and the outcome.