I am learning to paddleboard and it is amazing. Gliding just above the water, I find a peace of mind I have not felt before. To leave the land with just a paddle in hand, I am transported to a place and time void of the people, places and things that seem to clutter my mind too often. It is hard to balance oneself on a board only as stable as the water below and the body above. I have fallen many times, humbling and silly in my awkward beginnings but I am learning and I forgive myself these stumbling moments. I have canoed and kayaked and sailed but this is so different. The perspective is beautiful. I stand on top of the water and listen to the quiet lap of the board against the waves. I watch turtles swim to the surface and pelicans dive into the depths around me. The shoreline fades into the distance along with the chatter of tourists soaking in the tropical beach playground. This is my idea of a religion. Taking time out of the day to go to a place that inspires you. My god is the space around me and within me when I feel at peace, when I see the beauty of the world I live in and when I enter that place of quiet solitude.
