On Friday I raced in the Cheat Downriver Race after missing the 2009 event. After crossing the finish, I got off the water, said a few hellos to some fellow competitors and spectators, lifted my kayak to my shoulder, and walked up to the parking lot at Jenkinsburg. There were several hundred frolickers and racers around me in the remote West Virginia river canyon. I located my friend Jen's Jeep, pulled out some tie-down straps that I'd stashed in my kayak earlier, and secured my boat to the roof. I then stuffed my gear in the boat, turned around and stopped the first car that came my way and asked them for a ride.Not even half of the racers had finished, the kegs had barely been touched, and I was already sitting in the back of some stranger's Cherokee on my way up the long, rough road out of Jenkinsburg.
The entire trip, which consisted of two successful hitchhikes, took 3.5 hours. This is how my river trips go now; I wear a watch and I move efficiently. Navy S.E.A.L.s, eat your hearts out.
Despite the dramatic changes that have taken place for me and Molly in the past few years, the primary motivator for both of us remains unchanged: we're just trying to have fun. In fact, we try to eek out every last drop of it.
Everybody has to work. Everybody has to maintain their home, buy groceries, and pay bills. So, while it may not be any fun to do some of the things we all have to do, decisions to do things in my life are made with a fun:work ratio consideration. How will task x facilitate fun event y? If I decide against p, then how will that affect the fun q I've been planning? Life is a fun game to play, and winning the game means having the most fun. This isn't to say that I don't change diapers, and grad school really sucked, but a bit of foresight goes a long way in this game.
When Molly told me she wanted to go back to CheatFest after taking a year vacation from it (Indie was less than 4 months old for the 2009 event), I jumped at the opportunity. If I could do the race, then I would spend all day Saturday being a husband and father, no matter how many of my friends invited me to tag along on a river trip. We'd camp, we'd hike, and we'd enjoy the music at the festival.By Saturday night we'd accomplished all of this and then some and getting home after the long weekend in the sun would have felt great if I didn't have yard work to do.
Git r Dun
