I had been to Bali with my husband and child last month. It was our first international trip together which we made sure was a good blend of adventure and relaxation.
One of the first things on the list was white water rafting. We walked through beautiful rice fields and descended a fleet of uneven, rocky and shaky steps on a mountain that led us to the rafting site. The roar of the river as I walked down scared me but I had to do it.
We stood near our rafts, about 15 minutes later where our rafting instructor gave us basic information, do's and don'ts. I was excited about our first adventure together. We hopped onto the rafts gripping our paddles firmly.
A few minutes later, we saw many other rafting companies, with their rafts and customers. Eventually tourists from Korea China, Africa, India, Russia, England were seen aboard rafts at different places.
We were enjoying the occasional rapids, when our raft got stuck on a big rock. We were instructed to jump on the raft so it would slip back on the water. After successfully accomplishing that, we encountered huge rapids where I lost grip of my raft and it fell in the water.
We stopped ahead to splash with the other rafts of the same company when one of them passed my raft that he had grabbed from the water. We also got down where the river was shallow to enjoy a waterfall. The water fell from a height on our helmeted heads but we could still feel the hit.
We stopped midway to relax and got back onto our rafts admiring the enchanting silence of the forest around us and the calm water that slowly moved us ahead. My son insisted on rafting but the instructor disapproved of it. So I gave him my raft but also held on to it to help him raft and not to loose it again. We met a few more high rapids towards the end that ended with a slide. We warmly thanked our instructor and started our journey towards another fleet of stairs.
My intellectual self deciphered a different meaning to each of the hurdles I experienced and this is what I learnt from it..
• The rice fields perhaps resembles the place where our soul wanders before we take birth. The steps may be meaning our rocky and shaky growth. The raft is synonymous with the body which marks the start of our adventure called Life.
• We are sent from above with all the goods and bads (the instructor's do's and don'ts). The kind of a life we have depends on what we nurture.
• We are united with people of various backgrounds and cultures (tourists from different countries). The essence is to live in harmony with each other.
• While traversing through life, we may hit numerous highs and lows, it's important to hold on. When stuck in a situation (the rock), all we need to do is try and then bounce back.
• Life loves to give us unexpected twists, sometimes we should simply wait for the right time to act and it will all fall in place (just like I found my paddle).
• We have to enjoy a little impromptu moments (the waterfall). They may be uncomfortable but they add to the memories.
• Slowing down, easing up is as important as the ride. Admiring the silence, the beauty of life (the calm waters and the forest) revives our perspective.
• No matter what you do, who you are with, where you are or who you are helping, always make sure the command of your life is in your hands (I did not completely let go of the raft when my son asked).
• Practicing the attitude of gratitude is the best habit. Continually be thankful for what we have. We never know when our life would slide towards its end and we start towards a new journey (the new flight of stairs).
These are learnings I took from rafting. I look forward to more experiences to help me manoeuvre through the adventure called life. Look closer, you'll find learnings in your adventures too.
CHEERS!!
GOD BLESS!
CHS
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