Round and Round We Go
In Issue 4, I shared with you my first solo kayaking trip on the Moose Jaw River. In July 2023, I wanted to try out an inflatable dinghy, so I bought a black and orange Explorer 300 and took it with us when we went camping at Saskatchewan Landing Provincial Park.
It was easy to carry (it came in a small box I could fit under my arm) and we took it to a quiet beach on Lake Diefenbaker. I unfolded it, Dave inflated it, and we carried it to the water’s edge. Turns out, that was the easy part; actually pointing it in a direction and going somewhere was something else entirely. At first, all I did was go around and around in circles as if I was on an amusement park ride. “This is hilarious,” I thought to myself. But then it was time to get serious and move away from shore, if for no other reason than to get the dinghy away from the rocks that might slice the bottom of it. No need to sink the new ship!
Eventually I succeeded in getting it further from shore but paddling the dinghy was completely different from the kayak. With the kayak, both of my hands were on the same paddle and they worked in unison. With the dinghy, each hand was on a separate paddle and if my hands weren’t in unison, I would start to turn and wasn’t able to move in a straight line.
Paddling the dinghy was very hard (way harder than the kayak). A few times I was able to get my hands and oars in unison and move straight, but it took a lot of effort and the most I could muster was three strokes and then I would start to turn. It was far easier to go around in circles (the dinghy could turn on a dime) and I spent most of the time doing just that.
When it was time to return to shore, I paddled hard and got there, but not without thinking that I might have to “jump ship” and swim back to shore pulling it behind me with the tow rope. Not a camera moment for sure!
As I thought about my somewhat failed dinghy expedition (yes, I need to learn how to properly steer it) it reminded me of how it relates to worrying. “Really, Deb, do you worry?” Yes, absolutely!
Have you ever found yourself going around and around in your head worrying about something you can’t control only to find yourself getting nowhere? Me too, many times. It’s actually much easier to keep going around in circles but you can’t move forward if you aren’t going in a straight line. It is also harder to keep mind and thoughts in a straight line by focusing on a piece of wisdom, a quote, advice from a friend, a song, or some good words found in a book. Keeping the dinghy going straight took discipline, concentration and effort; the same is true for our thoughts.
Going in circles may seem productive at first, but if we wish to move forward in a straight line (and actually get somewhere) it will happen only if we put in the discipline, concentration and effort.
Is there something you are worrying about right now, going in circles, getting nowhere? How can you change that to moving in a straight line?
Recommended Resources
- Article by Richard Foulkes – “Going Around in Circles” – https://bniblog.co.nz/bni-core-values/positive-attitude/going-around-in-circles/
- Article by Boaz Rauchwerger – “Worry is Like a Carousel – Get Off!” – https://www.boazpower.com/worry/
- For a bit of a deeper read here is an article by Alex Dimitriu M.D. – “How Anxiety and Fatigue Can Have Us ‘Walking in Circles’” –https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/psychiatry-and-sleep/202212/how-anxiety-and-fatigue-can-have-us-walking-in-circles
Monthly Challenge
Reflect on something you may be worrying about right now that is outside of your control. Do you feel like you are going in circles? If so, what can you focus on that can help you change that to moving forward in a straight line?