From the Surface

Usually I’m underwater while visiting Crystal River….and I will be for the next two days; however, I arrived early today and had a lovely paddle in my kayak.

It’s nice to get a different perspective, to go out on my own wherever I want to paddle and stay off the crowded boats with rigid schedules. I found a tunnel a couple years ago on my SUP board and didn’t have an opportunity to photograph it with my big Nikon camera. Today I was able to visit it and play with the darkness and light…and reflection.

As I floated in my boat I observed the footprint of manatees as they swam past. I watched a tagged manatee from a distance as it snoozed. Dolphins tore through a school of mullet and gave an amazing show to several random kayakers who happened to show up at the same time as the dolphins were feeding. The clouds, the water…everything was so beautiful.

Too often I find myself moving too fast toward a goal without pausing to enjoy the incredible journey. The payoff isn’t the achieved goal….it’s everything, every day. There’s no need to push so hard…delight is here…it’s now…and every step along the way.