Here comes Fall! I am not talking about the official calendar date that says “First Day of Autumn.” This Fall is that time of year when you step out and the first decision you have to make is if you need a jacket. This Fall is also that time of year that you walk through your local department store that greets you with the cosmic alignment of a snaggle toothed Jack-O-Latern, then a cartoon turkey, then Christmas lights on plastic trees. Add to the fun, this year we find our TV ads in severe retrograde with campaign ads trying to sell us the most acceptable candidate.
We forgive the calendar for not getting the date right. We work through the commercial conflagration of 3 holidays under the smoke of burning autumn leaves. We hold our nose as the TV and radio ads burn our brains. Rowers can’t be bothered by those things because it is Fall and there are Head Races coming!
This coming weekend the rowing posts on social media swarm around The Head of the Charles Regatta, HOCR. Many of my friends are going to volunteer and take in the atmosphere. It is a tremendous event. I wish safe travels for all the competitors and volunteers.
My rowing focus is on my club getting ready for Head of The South, HOTS. This is a fun event too. Maybe I feel good about this venue because my very first head race with my club was at this event. We rented an 8 and paid a college kid to cox us. The boat we raced did not have speakers that worked so no one ever heard the cox with the exception of the stern pair. I remember our discussion with the vendor that rented us this boat and the gentleman that was trying to sell it. He spoke with a slavic accent. “You do not need to worry. This boat, she floats. You love this boat. You race, she floats.” So we raced. I got a fond memory for my lack of medals collection.
“This boat, she floats” has become a kind of mantra I repeat when life is not exactly what I want it to be. When life is not the way I want it to be, I remind myself that my boat still floats.
Early voting and midterm elections are upon us. And the last 2 years are begging if we have learned anything. I watched the news. I watched repeated replays of some very confused people storm our capitol because they believed a story. I have watched the hearings about that tragic day. Right now, not just our nation, but many nations of the world are immersed in a strange alignment of truth and belief. The talking heads call it Nationalism, Supremacy, or Fascism, but I just call it Hate. When hate takes over it burns a huge hole in the soul. Hope floats all boats but hate sets them on fire. A boat filled with hate will not float for long.
We can still make this race work. Our boat still floats only if we make our choice and vote. Our boat still floats if we seek truth and make our decisions thoughtfully. The Big Box Mart might not know what season it is, but I know it is time to step into an ugly beat up boat and feel the beauty of moving in unison with my crew and cross the finish line with pride. Our boat she floats because we love our crew; but it is up to us to row it to the finish line. And next year, we come to the race with a new boat and a renewed spirit. Citizen, you are on the course.