Get Back on The Boat!
Happy Friday all!
We've made it to the end of another week, and man are the weeks just flying by! Despite the snow yesterday and the gray skies today, the forecast for the next big stretch of days looks sunny, dry, and relatively warm, so hopefully, spring is really on the horizon!
I was planning today's blog posted yesterday afternoon as I wrapped up my remote day in my home work corner (no real home office for me), and I was thinking about the idea of getting back up when we fall, so I started digging for a little bit of inspiration. What I came across really surprised me. I am actually not even sure how it popped into my view, and I am even less sure why I decided to click on it, but it did, and after watching it realized that the person giving us the tips for getting back up into a tipped kayak unknowingly gave us so real valuable tips for life at the same time!
Check out this video about how to get back up into a Kayak if you tip it over.
I don't kayak myself. I don't own one, don't really have any interest in one, and probably won't have much opportunity to actually try getting back into one that has tipped over but I found what he said to be very useful for life in general.
One of the things he kept saying was don't panic, which is a great reminder for life anytime the chips are down. For his purposes, he reminds his audience that you can get back in the boat with a few basic tips and tricks. Same thing in life. When you are in a tricky situation. Don't panic, breathe, stay calm and assess the situation. Remind yourself that you are okay and that you know what to do. His first step is to flip the boat over so that it is not talking on water and can act as your anchor, as you get calm and prepare to get back in. Similarly, when you are struggling in life, what's the most important piece? Stabilize the situation by reaching out for an anchor - a family member, a friend, or another trusted adult.
As far as getting back in the boat, his three steps are to get your bellybutton over the center of the boat, twist your but into the seat, and then bring your legs back into the boat. However, he stresses the need to go slow and assess your stability before you move on to each next step. He tells the audience that if you go too fast, you just risk flipping yourself off the other side.
This is a fantastic reminder that when we are solving real-life problems we need to think about the steps we plan to take to solve the problem and tackle them one by one. Don't try to skip steps, and don't try to go too fast. Be stable (settled) before you move on. Follow a process for success. So if for example, you are struggling to get your homework completed, and you have a backlog of overdue assignments, your first step is to talk to your teachers and make a list of to-dos. Once you are clear on the to-do's, you need to prioritized items of importance and tackle them first. Once you have a plan, you need to focus on one item at a time, do it well, and make sure it gets turned in. Don't rush and don't get overwhelmed by doing too much at once, or you may not succeed.
Lastly and most importantly, our kayaker tells us to use our resources. He uses an empty cooler to propel himself up into that boat. Sometimes in life, our resources aren't obvious, sometimes you have to use a little creativity, but resources are there if you simply choose to use them. Think things like Google calendar or those folders and binders that your teachers made you purchase at the beginning of the year. They are really just resources there to help keep you organized and on task. You can find creative resources for other problems as well. Breathing exercises, when we are stressed, YouTube when you need step-by-step instructions to accomplish something complex, or an app for managing your money as examples. Tools and resources are all around us, don't be afraid or ashamed to use them!
In thinking about all the resources YouTube provides, I started down a little rabbit hole...I went looking for how-tos on YouTube to give you a little smattering of what you can learn by watching a quick and well-made video...here is a selection of what I found.
How to tie a Windsor knot...
How to boil the perfect egg...
I hope you don't have to recover from anything too challenging this weekend, but if you do, don't forget to stay calm, take one step at a time, make sure you focus on stability and use your resources!
Be well, everyone!
Mrs. Hempey
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