12 Things I Learned While Kayaking Over 270 miles

1. The course you set does not have to be the course you take. - Keep paddling!
2. Have a ONE singular objective, make it important, never lose sight of it. - Keep paddling!
3. Be open to alternatives and leave no opportunity unexplored - Keep paddling!
4. You can figure the tide but not the weather – Plan well the things you can and be ready for the things you can't - Keep paddling!
5. Sometimes the wind is gonna be against you - Keep paddling!
6. Don't panic when the sea tries to swallow you, it makes things worse - Keep paddling!
7. When you think you have given all you’ve' got, you have an untapped reserve - Keep paddling!
8. Break down the long stretches by creating a series of waypoints - Keep paddling!
9. When something breaks, you don't have to fix it perfect, all you need is seaworthy - Keep paddling!
10. Until you visit the edges of your comfort zone, you have no idea where those edges are - Keep paddling!
11. Get in the boat, even when you don't want to. Nothing is gonna happen until you get in the boat and then . . . Keep paddling!
12. It is utterly amazing what you can accomplish when you Keep paddling!

I highly recommend that everyone complete an adventure such as this in their life. If kayaking is not your thing, try a long walk. Maybe the Appalachian Trail or perhaps the Camino de Santiago in France and Spain. What I can say is that I found it very cathartic to experience almost nine days where I had ONE SINGULAR OBJECTIVE. It may not have been easy but, it was simple. All I needed to do is get me and the boat safely from point A to point B. It may have been a long distance, I may have been plagued by wind and weather and currents but, the objective was clear and simple. Everybody should enjoy that level of simplicity coupled with a high level of difficulty. It is very liberating.