Thursday, June 04, 2009

Two weathered chairs and a table...

I've been thinking a lot about the recent trip by sea kayak that I shared with a friend. So many experiences and observations to ponder. Here's one: It seems strange and yet it's wonderfully refreshing, that it's the simple things in life that often impact most deeply.

Amply blessed with modern technology - composite kayaks, graphite paddles, GPS, breathable fabrics and yet, the serendiptous "piece of kit" that gave so much pleasure and satisfaction was the “treasure” mentioned in the previous blog entry. It awaited us at a remote campsite at the end of James Bay on Prevost Island. Someone kind soul had transported - and left there - an old wooden folding table and two disintegrating deck chairs. In barely legible script, someone had written on the back of one of the chairs, "leave here". Well, it wasn't like you could strap them on the decks of our tiny craft and make off with them! The chairs and table were weathered where they were wooden, rusted where they were metal, faded where they were fabric. Really, they would have even been a difficult sale at one of the ubiquitous Saturday morning Vancouver Island garage sales!

They were, however, more than serviceable. They provided a dining table, a writing desk, a foot rest, a flat surface for sorting and packing gear, a coffee table. The "chairs" provided a place to sit comfortably and to reflect, as the sun set, well above the busy ants and ground-crawlers. Sitting in the shade of a massive tree, you could imagine yourself a high level corporate "executive" awaiting the Board meeting to begin. (No one showed up!) Ahh...the simple pleasures afforded by this "found" treasure.

In an increasingly complex world, so often filled to the brim with commitments, responsibilities, pressures...and the need to have so much - it's a good reminder that a beaten up old table and two chairs held together with duct tape and threads could bring so much satisfaction.

It's like the hug from the waiting "support team" greeting the tired paddler at the end of the charted course - it's a simple thing, but it refreshes, rejuvenates, and strengthens. It's like a friendship - it's a simple thing, but it's life-giving and life-affirming...and it gives texture and deep meaning to life. I think these are all good things...to ponder and to cherish.

Thankfully,

D.

2 comments:

  1. In our preoccupation with having all the "right" things, we sometimes miss what's really important in life. Know what you mean. So nobody showed up for the meeting, eh?!

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  2. "Furnished" campsites? I thought you guys were roughing it?!

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