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| I'm brave enough to admit I'm a bonehead. |
Cherdo on Flipside and Author Diana Wilder of Diana Wilder, ...About myself, by myself, are hosting the Bonehead Blog Hop for the brave and honest.
What bone headed thing have I done?
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| Mr. Seckman, AKA Superman |
I am NOT athletic in the least.
On the other hand, my husband is very athletic. He doesn't even trip walking up steps, like I do. And being the active sort, he likes to do things like...kayaking.One beach trip, we got a couple of kayaks and hit the Currituck Sound. I'd like to say it started out well, but paddling? It's hard. Somehow, my best efforts sent my kayak in circles. So, while the day wasted, Mr. Seckman spent his sunny day teaching me how to paddle.
By evening, we were off.
It was beautiful, gliding along the water watching the pelicans and ospreys come and go from their nests. The water was smooth as glass, all but the ripples we made as we passed. It was perfect.
Until I spotted the jellyfish.Remember that 90's movie about the squid creature that ate people right out of their boats? Well, that's what this jelly fish looked like- only about a hundred times smaller.
But still. I squealed. Loudly. And sort of
Mr. Seckman yelled, "Grab it before it sinks!"
It floated there a second. I thought about grabbing it, I swear I did. But in my mind, if I reached my hand over the side of the kayak, that jellyfish would close the ten feet between us, spring from the water, and wrap its tentacles around my throat, thus zapping the life from me. Or in the very least, it would hurt really, really bad.
Mr. Seckman paddled as quickly as he could to try to reach the paddle before it sunk, but he didn't make it.
So, there I was, up the sound without a paddle. Getting out of the kayak and swimming to shore was out of the question, not with the stalker jellyfish waiting to attack.
If it were just me, I'd have floated out into the Atlantic and waited on the Coast Guard. Fortunately, Mr. Seckman did what few other men would do. He tied his kayak to mine and paddled us both back to shore.
Isn't that sweet?
He didn't even call me a bonehead.
photo credit: La méduse via photopin (license)
You and I are soul sisters! I'm the exact same way. My husband laughed at me a couple of weeks ago because I said my hair smelled like "outside." He said, "You are SUCH a girly-girl!" My sister's the opposite. We're going to Charleston in July and she's booked all of us a kayak tour because she knows how much Neil likes kayaking. Umm...but I don't!
ReplyDeleteI have two sisters. One is a total athlete (she makes fun of me often), the other is a happy medium, she was a majorette (pre-flag with the batons) so she is coordinated. I got the weakest athlete genes in the entire family. Plus, I am like you, my soul sister, in that I never cared enough to ever try to develop any sort of athletic skills.
DeleteA kayak tour? That's got to be pressure- you'll have to keep up with the group. If it helps, once I learned to paddle, it was a lot of fun. And beautiful. Being on the water was really nice.
I love the Currituck Sound; lovely place to be a bonehead!
ReplyDeleteIt is beautiful. Usually I adore it from a deck with wine.
DeleteHa ha ha...I'm laughing with you. I also live with an athletic person and let's just say, I trip every time I leave my flat. My partner is used to me falling or breaking stuff. I feel for ya. And jellyfish do hurt when they get ya. Not that I've experienced it firsthand because I would have done the same thing you did.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad I have wonderful people who understand.
DeleteMy husband is so used to my lack of coordination, when I offer to do things like run the rototiller in the garden, he panics. He knows I lack the skills and adding power tools to the mix could lead to loss of limbs.
Such a gentleman..... I can understand you feeling. Jellyfish stings can be VERY nasty...
ReplyDeleteHe is a gentleman- most days. Some days he's rotten to the core.
DeleteI've never had a jellyfish sting, but my friend did. It went from her waist to her knees. I guess the jellyfish attach all their long tentacles to your body and sting you mercilessly. She showed me her wounds a week after it happened and it was still red, swollen and wicked looking. No way I wanted that!
I'd have brained you Liz. If you do trip that much learn T'ai Chi. I have not tripped since I started it a long time ago now. It helps both your balance and awareness. I threw myself across the road once trying to get out of the car. Very luck no traffic at the time.
ReplyDeleteHehe. I think most people would have. Hell, I wanted to brain me!
DeleteI once got my foot tangled in my purse strap getting out of the car and fell and hit my chin in the road. I also tripped crossing a busy interstate and spilled my Diet Coke. I was mad about my drink while my oldest son worried I'd get hit by a passing car.
I really should so tai chi. My balance is way off.
lol are jellyfish that fast though? I suppose it was better than reaching for it and falling out though.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty certain they can move at light speed when motivated.
DeleteI never thought of tipping the kayak. So glad I didn't reach- that so would have happened!
uh...I've never had a sinking paddle. Who would manufacture such a thing? Just thinking out loud, of course
ReplyDeleteIt was a rented kayak and the end cap on the paddle was missing. My husband, while we were setting off, made a point to tell me- do not drop that paddle, it will sink.
DeleteToo funny! And I hear you about the stalker jellyfish - I would've thought the same thing. :)
ReplyDeletePretty sure it was out for my blood. I think it may have had psychopathic tendencies.
DeleteThe man who accepts those moments without flinching is the man to hold onto forever.
ReplyDeleteHe is for sure.
DeleteSounds like you've got a great man! I probably would have been too scared to even go in the kayak in the first place. I'm not very coordinated.
ReplyDeleteI do prefer canoes. Kayaks feel very unbalanced to me. This year, we're taking our canoe. That way if I lose my paddle, we'll still be in the same boat.
DeleteHA! I am so not athletic in the slightest, so this is totally me. I've been kayaking a few times with my aunt...but I've never seen an jelly fish, thank the Lord.
ReplyDeleteI have seen plenty of them on the surf side of the ocean. That is the first time I've ever seen one on the sound side. In one area, they were everywhere. The water was polluted with them.
DeleteI am quite athletic. Your hubby is sweet :)
ReplyDeleteEnjoy that. It's a gift!
DeleteAww, he's super sweet! I'm sorry you had a tough time with kayaking. I love it! I'm not athletic with throwing/catching/hitting balls, which seems to be the most important skill for most American sports . . . so I understand your frustration on that level. "Just throw the ball" sounds to me like an ultimatum leading to death by humiliation. :) Despite that, I played church softball for a few years . . . and as long as I could make the ball bounce a six inches from the bat, I could run really fast to first base - sprinting is a good skill for a nerdy kid so I have that one down. :)
ReplyDeleteIt was fun. I think if I did it more often, I'd really enjoy it. It was beautiful and so serene. We don't have too many good kayaking places where I am. I live on the Ohio River and there is so much boat/barge traffic, I wouldn't have the nerve to go on it. This summer we're taking our canoe to the beach. My husband enjoyed the kayak, but he also likes to fish, and the canoe will work best for that.
DeleteI can't throw a ball and I am a slow runner. Even at my skinniest, I was always slow.
Aw, what a great hubby!! And what a great story! I love that he "rescued you" like right out of a romance novel. :)
ReplyDeleteI love the new look of your blog, by the way!
He isn't one to write poems or buy flowers, but he is really good at rescues!
DeleteThanks!
Ha ha ha...that would have been me, too. Ain't no way I'm-a gonna reach into that jellyfish polluted water! They're out to get me!!
ReplyDeleteNice!
No sense risking it. I make a point to avoid pain in all areas of life.
DeleteThat is funny. At least you have a great story to relate now. And good thing you guys had a rope.
ReplyDeleteI always forget my husband isn't quite normal. He is a little OCD in his planning. He goes nowhere without things like rope and a utility knife. We used to make fun of him, but he's been a Godsend in so many situations, he always gets the last laugh.
DeleteThat's what True Love does, Elizabeth.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, that should be the dictionary definition:
TRUE LOVE: Ties its kayak to yours and paddles you both back to shore.
Yep, I gotta admit, that WAS pretty boneheaded. In your defense, jellyfish ARE creepy little things.
I grew up body-surfing in Southern California, and every Summer we'd have a week or so where the jellyfish invaded (who knows why?) I'd be in the water waiting for a good wave to ride, look down and here comes a jellyfish floating toward me. And it seemed that wherever I went, the water current would bring him back.
You wind up splashing water and yelling, "Get away! Get away!" - looking like some frightened little girl, instead of a strong-swimming body-surfer "dude".
~ D-FensDogG
'Loyal American Underground'
That is true love.
DeleteMy guys body surf. I like to stay on my feet, because you're absolutely right- if there is a jelly fish in the area, the current will bring it to you every time. I need to be alert and ready to run.
Lol, that's brilliant, and so funny. I can just picture it, especially the paddle lingering for a moment, taunting you :-)
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly what it did! What a tease.
DeleteYou crack me up, and I would expect nothing less from your hubby! He'd never leave you out in the wild like that, at the mercy of that jellyfish!
ReplyDeleteNo, he wouldn't...even though I am well insured. Now, that is love.
DeleteOh my gosh, you always make me laugh! Very sweet hubs you have there!
ReplyDeleteI am a lucky girl, Jamie.
Delete