Who Wants To Go Boating?

Ok, even I do dumb things. It's 11:30 p.m. and I am sitting in my swing outside looking across the pond. I'm thinking to myself how nice it would be to be on the pond in one of the boats, all by myself, in the dark, where no one can watch me. The more I'm thinking about it, the more I want to try it. Everyone is asleep, no one would know and how wonderful it would feel to be out there on the water, all by myself. I go into the garage and the only boat that is blown up and ready to go is the 4 man boat. I figured I could handle it, so I got two oars, took my shoes off, and off I went, down to the pond. Boy, was it nice. I laid in the boat, gazing up at the sky, and with a sigh I said to myself, "It's a good life."

After about half an hour, I decide I better go in, it was getting a bit chilly. As I'm rowing, I am realizing that many of the people who had their back lights on had turned them off. And mine weren't even on. I began to have a hard time getting close to the bank. I kept rowing, but for some reason, I kept going in circles and couldn't maneuver that big boat to where I wanted it.

I'm thinking all the time that I needed to be sure that I didn't get too close to the rocks or I would puncture the boat and I certainly didn't want to do that. I rowed back a little so I could see better and I dropped one of the oars in the water. I quickly tried to grab it but in doing so, the other slipped out of the holder (I must have put them in wrong) so now both oars are somewhere in the water and I can't see a thing. Now I am in a panic. How in the world was I going to get back to the bank, in this big boat, by myself?? I looked at my watch and by this time it's 1:30 a.m. and there was no way I was going to holler for help. NO WAY!!!! The boat is too wide to stretch my arms into the water, trying to lean on one side and paddle with my hands just spun my in circles. So I am sitting there trying to figure out what I am going to do. (I know, by now, you are laughing, but believe me, at the time, it was no laughing matter) There was no way I was going to get out and swim. I know what's in that pond and I didn't want any critters nibbling at my toes. I tried scooting the boat (picture that, if you can, me rocking back and forth in that boat like some idiot. I'm glad no one could see me) By now, I'm getting scared so, like I always do when I'm in trouble, I asked God to PLEASE rescue me. I sat there for awhile, looking around, not that I could see anything, when suddenly I felt something tap the boat. I was scared to reach over and see what it was, then I felt it again. I prayed that if I reached out, that whatever it was wouldn't bite me. AN OAR!!! I grabbed it and thanked God, then I felt another tap on the boat. THE OTHER OAR!!!! OMG, thank you, thank you, thank you. I rowed with no trouble. I reached one of the oars out to tap the bank to see how close I was, then I stepped out. The boat started to move behind me with my other leg still in it. I tried to pull my leg in, but it was an awkward position, and as I struggled to pull in the boat with the one leg, I stumbled on the rocks and lost my footing. I made it across the rocks (ouch) but the boat got away from me. I crawled to the grass, laid on my back and looked up in the sky. I was so grateful to be on land. I walked up to the house, wet, cold and mad at myself for trying such a stupid thing.

I'm glad to be out of that boat and when light comes, I will go out and get it before anyone finds out what I did. We aren't going to tell now, are we???? No, we aren't!

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY AT BOTTOM OF POST