For the Fun of it.
Laughs fill the air, and one by one, those who are unsure what the laughter is about graciously take part. The corners of their mouth rise towards the ears, adding that crescent shape on their face. Smiling, ear to ear.
Over the past six months or so I have watched this happen first hand. And also heard from others who witnessed a similar outcome. The irony it has not been just one location, time or event but rather multiple ones.
There has been one common link, paddling.
Over a year ago I moved down to Jupiter, Florida. A place where I always loved the community and the lifestyle. Upon moving here I was fortunate to join the team at Bluleline Surf and Paddle Co. helping to share my love for the water with others. And this passion has blossomed in a multitude of ways.
As I was taking part in our weekly paddle meet up, called Tuesday Night Race League I had a few friends approach me about learning a few things to help enjoy the water a bit more. With teaching being something I truly love. It was an easy decision.
The same easy decision revealed itself when we kicked off Tuesday Night Race League for the 2021 season. There was an opportunity to help the team at Blueline each week on Tuesday nights.
That opening scenario I described above was the result of these two weekly paddling events. "Paddle Practice" has evolved into an everyone is welcome paddle where we get more comfortable with the varying conditions that Jupiter offers. Most specifically it has been about surfing the waves, all types of waves. Boat waves, ocean waves, downwind waves and waves from other paddlers. And on multiple occasions I've heard from beach goers and fellow surfers what we are doing, as so many people are laughing like children.
The response has been simple, we are just having fun at the local playground.
Tuesday Night Race League has followed suit. Each week after the paddlers head out on their loops around the nearby islands, we offer 3 distances of courses to accommodate everyone's ability and needs. The people enjoying their dinners at Guanabanas, who all cheered and applauded the paddlers at the start, comment on how much fun everyone is having. The exclamation point on this night is when everyone returns and the kids, who ride along their parents boards, are cannonballing into the water filling the air with that contagious energy and laughter.
Paddling brings a boat load of fun into our lives, and the best part, it is open to interpretation on what our version of fun looks like.
