Immersed in the water once more

Well, I was finally able to get out on the water here in LA on Friday and Saturday to start putting in my hours in a kayak and also to try to play some much needed catch up to Kevin and Brian’s training regimes.

To return to the Marina down here was in and of itself a trip down memory lane. The last time I set foot at the UCLA Marina Aquatic Center was in my early college days, where I would rise at the crack of dawn on a Sunday morning walk a mile to the bus, take the bus for an hour, and then walk another mile to the water, determined to stay in touch with my outdoor roots. Not much has changed at the MAC, except the sets of fresh young faces eagerly learning how to sail, row, and kayak.

To be back in a boat was a bit like returning to a comforting home (which is good considering it will be my abode for 4 months this summer!). There’s something very soothing about being in a boat and paddling, sinking into a rhythm with your stroke, and feeling the water shift beneath you. It was a welcome change to slow my mind back to the present moment, turn off the to do lists and remind myself of the reasons why water is such an integral part of our existence.

As I settled into my paddling groove, my mind wandered back to my college days when, after practicing rescue techniques in the Marina, I would emerge from the water feeling slightly ill, my body fighting off toxins from the surrounding concrete jungle. And that was just one Marina…

The Mississippi River travels through 10 states and “it drains 41% of the Continental United States...including all or parts of 31 states and two Canadian provinces (Wikipedia).” That’s a lot of run off feeding into the Gulf of Mexico. It is no wonder then that the dead zone at the bottom of it all has grown to be the size of New Jersey.

Thinking about these statistics can be overwhelming, and a feeling of hopelessness can easily wash over you as easily as the water itself...but that is a dangerous route to take. My hope is that this trip will provide inspiration for people to start thinking about water in their lives, and what they can do to help now. Everything from turning off the faucet while brushing your teeth, to participating in a local river/bay/wetland cleanup day, to donating towards building a well for those who have no access to clean water.

Water is the foundation of our lives, it feeds and nourishes us, it provides relief, and fun filled activities. It connects us all...

I hope you join us this summer, for the love of water!