Splash

As a Dadlete, I try to make a splash as often as I can. The word splash has a positive connotation to it. However, in this case, it was a sign of my failure. And a sign of the fun I was having. 

Part of being a Dadlete is venturing out of your comfort zone. I love the beach. I hate the water. Doesn’t matter if it is a lake or the ocean because, according to my imagination, there are beasts whose sole purpose in life is to devour me. Yes, I am petrified of sharks, stingray, jellyfish, snakes, and anything else that can possibly populate a body of water and attack me. 

It is a wonder that I EVER get in the ocean. 

While on vacation, my daughter was given the opportunity to use a paddle board. Unlike me, my daughter is fearless. She loves the water. Like her mother, I think she could live in the ocean. 

Well, suffice to say, the girl had so much fun that we decided to rent a paddle board for half a day. And that’s where this week’s highlighted challenge began. 

Dadletes rise to a challenge. Dadletes are called to adventure. Okay, let’s be honest – in this case THIS Dadlete wanted to make sure he got his money’s worth. So I decided to try the paddle board. 

You have to understand the fear I had as I road the board out and attempted to stand. I imagined that if I fell, a shark would devour me like that one movie with Sam Jackson, or Jaws would get me, or some prehistoric alligator would pull me under, or snake would nibble me, or the tide would pull me out and a boat would hit me, or – a jellyfish would attack me. You get an idea of where my head was at. 

So you could imagine my joy when I stood upright and found myself floating. 

The mistake I made? I raised my hands in triumph, shouted, and promptly threw myself off balance. 

I tried to catch myself. 

 But the more I corrected myself. The less control I had. 

  At this point my thoughts were all focused on the unknown beasts that I was convinced were circling underneath me waiting to devour me. I tried to hang on and give it the old Dadlete try. 

But if there is one thing that is certain – gravity is undefeated. First my foot hit the water and suddenly my head was immersed under it. This was it. This was the end. The beasts were going to feast upon me. 

Then I realized that I was only in about 4 feet of water. Instead of meeting my demise by beast, I rose to a chorus of laughter from the beach (mainly from my family, but also strangers). 

The laughter meant only one thing- I had to try again. And I did. And I fell again. And then I got back up and I fell again. I never stayed on the paddle board for long, but I had fun trying. Sometimes you just have to paddle past your comfort zone. 

Are you thinking of making a splash? Try doing it while cloaked in Russell Athletic gear (which you can find online or your local Walmart) . Between the Dri-Power tops and shorts, my beach experience was cool, dry, and comfortable – until I fell in:) 

Stay tuned because I have more adventures. Check my Dadlete landing page for the full collection as they occur. Also, be sure to check my Instagram page (including my Instagram Stories) as I post mini updates there as well. And if you want to see other Dadletes and their adventures, check out the hashtag #Dadlete on Twitter and Instagram!