“I don’t think there’s anything more fun than launching you from the tube…”
They swam back towards the ladder, smiling from ear to ear.
It’s a fine line, when you pull your kids around a lake, behind a boat, on an inflated rubber circle.
Go too straight and too slow? They’re bored, begging to speed up.
Go too fast and too out of control? They skip across the water like rocks from a shoreline. And those smiles get replaced with “you suck, dad” or a few tears.
But find the sweet spot? There’s nothing more fun.
The tricky part, with tubing, as well as life, is knowing when to open it up, and when to dial it back.
When to hammer down and go for it. Or when to realize the way is too dangerous and throttle down.
When to accelerate and push through the choppy waters. Or when to slow the pace and survey the waters around you.
The terrifyingly beautiful thing about life, though, is that most days, we get to do both.
Finding the rhythm that works. Understanding the power we hold in our hands. Watching how our decisions impact those in our wake.
Eventually, though, when we find the harmony, and the conditions are right, the throttle of life is meant to be opened up.
Let it rip. Forge ahead. Go for it.
There’s nothing more fun.