Rafting

This morning I took my raft for a ride down the river. I rode past the Denninger house. They were having breakfast out on their deck. They waved. I floated by a beaver gnawing down a tree for its dam. It winked. I floated alongside a school of trout. We stayed at the same speed for about five minutes. They were as surprised as me.

I got so caught up in my ride that I didn’t realize how far I’d gone. Soon I rode out onto the ocean. I’d never gone that far. It didn’t help that there was a storm. The waves were sometimes ten feet tall. I was worried that I’d fall off. I’m not that great of a swimmer.

Just when I thought I couldn’t hang on any longer, a whale lifted me up out of the water. It waited until the storm was over and set me back down on the now gentler waters. I thanked the whale. It nodded, blew out water, and went on its way.

I rode back to the river, and then paddled my way home. I put away my raft. I laid down on my bed. I thought about how things have been much better since I got over my fear of water last week.