The start of the 2023 season!

I was in Portland last weekend doing a demo for Alder Creek Kayak and Canoe. The weather gods delivered! 80 degrees and sunny and an event that was well promoted by Alder and hosted by their best sales and instructional staff. I'm not sure if all the attendees knew how much skill was there to help them but it was very noticed by me! If I helped a customer at first get in a kayak and then got caught up in another conversation when they returned I was able to know they were in good hands. The Alder staff was there to help their customers find fun on the water. Dave, the owner, was at the bbq and then DT, their buyer of many years and now adjunct staff, took over. 3 awesome safety boaters, 3 more awesome staff, Nate from Eddyline and Dan from Headwaters Kayak were all there. This is how an event should be! Hope to be part of more like this! 

Here's a pic from the sunset on the Columbia the night before:

I'm getting older, that is for sure. The huck up their long staircase and loading and unloading my trailer and 3.5 hour drive home had me worked on Sunday am. Slept in until 9am! But, I know how this goes. In another 2-3 events, I'll be back to full reppin' shape. You can run, workout, snowboard or bike all winter but you can't train for hucking boats without just hucking boats. And that's what this job continues to be in large part. Riggin' and Haulin'! The easy part is on the water! 

How long can I keep doing this? As long as there is heart and passion around me from the shops, business partners and customers is my answer! It fuels me in a big way. 

But, I've noticed something else this spring...the effects of entering situations where the heart and passion doesn't feel as strong. It is crushing to me because I find myself reminiscing on the times where it may have been present in the same store, beach or company where it now lacks. This Fall, I resigned from a company that I felt didn't have it any longer. I had to do it. Now, as I feel the effects of missing the income, I can genuinely say that I'm happy with my decision still. I turned my back on large checks to be closer to what felt right in my heart. My guiding Northstar is a bit clearer now because of it.

So, I now know what it feels like to walk away from financial reward because the passion isn't there. And now, I think I'm a bit infatuated with that result! It's good to some extent but in business, you can't just pay attention to your favorites can you?! Don't you have to keep trying with the ones that might need it most?! I think so! Have to just make sure you fill your tanks like I did this weekend so you have enough to put back where needed. 

Thanks to the people and places that take the effort to fill my tanks so that I can turn to a direction where energy is needed. A big circle of support. That's what is needed these days. 

Here are some folks that do that for me at a shop that does it for me (right where it all started out West in 2000 for me):

Nate, Dan and myself