| While the other kids, clad in shorts and old tee shirts, splashed in the shallow water, she stood on the rocky bank between the river and the kayaks, a fashion statement in pristine neoprene. Coordinated azure shirt and leggings. Delicate purple booties. Matching purple gloves.
She looked at the river, then blinked at me. "Which way are we going?"
I could have handled this better.
I could have turned her teen-aged body to the river and put my arm around her slender shoulders. I could have pointed to the water and said, "Look at the river. I know it's kind of sluggish here, but can you see which way the water's flowing? Well, we're going in the direction the water goes. That's called 'downstream.'"
I could have shown her how to look at something, how to assess it, how to apply logic to a situation, all in under two minutes. I could have shown leadership.
Instead, I pushed that course away. I grabbed my chance to get an easy laugh, at her expense. I snorted and gibed, "Downstream!" As if everyone in the world knew that except her. As if, instead of being a novice, she was just dumb.
I could have handled it better. I could have remembered the first time I rafted down a river. I was the rookie in a group of experienced rafters. I had canoed on lakes, but never rafted, and never traveled on a river. If I had stopped to think about it, I probably could have reasoned out that we would go downstream, using the flow of the water instead of fighting it. But I didn't stop to think. I relied on the experience of my teachers.
"Which way are we going?" I asked.
And of course, they laughed at me. They were family, and I could take the ribbing. But surely, there was a time when none of them knew that. Surely, none of them came into the world knowing that one travels downstream. Surely, there was someone who took them by the shoulders and said, "Look at the river. Which way is she flowing? Well, that's the way we go. Downstream. It's much less work than going upstream."
I could have handled it better. But I took the easy course. I went with the flow, and I laughed at her expense.
And possibly, ultimately, at my own expense.
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