We are so blessed to live just outside of Penticton, BC in the beautiful Okanagan Valley. We have two beaches right in town, and a river running through, which we call the Channel. It runs from one end to the other, and is a popular stop for many vacationers.
We do try and float the Channel at least once a year, though we’ve definitely missed some years. You can see all sorts floating down, from families with young children in huge floaties, to couples with their dogs, to groups of friends with music blaring and shouts of joy coming from their direction. You can see pizza slice floaties, large ‘island’ floaties that fit eight or more people, unicorns, or giant flamingos, I’m sure if you can imagine it you will see it. One commonality is that most of these people will be in their vessel, peacefully floating anywhere from 1-4 hours depending on the time of year and flow of the water.
But not our family. No, there are some in our family that may never get on one of our many floaties, opting instead to swim the entire 6.5 kilometres. Our youngest is afraid of the seaweed that shows up periodically and chooses to stay on her floatie, face in the water, scanning the length of the Channel, not wanting to miss out on anything. You can hear her shouting excitedly when she find something, which this past weekend was a pair of denim shorts, a Canucks hat, and sunglasses (a very common find). There is joy in her voice as she directs her siblings or father to her find, hoping that they too are able to see it, to get it for her. Sometimes they miss out, but most of the time her scouring is rewarded.
Pretty much everyone in our family searches, looking for that ‘score’ like we got this past weekend when our son found a cell phone in a ziploc bag. It had water in the bag, but thankfully it still works (after 6 days in the water!) and we are able to return it to the very happy owner. I would say that one is definitely a score! Even the smaller, more common finds are celebrated as they look to see what kind of sunglasses they found.
Why do we do this? Why do we spend our time looking down? Searching between the rocks and seaweed? Because it brings joy, and the finds are valued. Rarely distracted by what’s going on around us, they are focused. They are focused because they know what prizes may await them if they do the work. And knowing what’s there doesn’t really seem to make it feel like work either, and they enjoy their swim.
And so it is with our life, floating through the waters, being pulled with the currents. We are all heading along the same path in our own way, some on plain boats, others on colourful unicorns, all to the same destination. And I wonder, what are you spending your time on? Do you simply float and let life pass you by (not that there is anything wrong with that on the Channel!), or do you find yourself distracted by things going on around you that draw you in? Do you spend your life so distracted that you miss the little treasures that are hidden along the way? Are you drawn in by the noise around you that keeps you busy and unfocused? Or are you able to take some time to search for the treasures? Or do you make the time for those things that bring you joy, that cause you to celebrate no matter how small.
Those little things are what make life worth living, what feed our souls.