Some choices in life can be overly difficult. Where should I go to college? Is this the person I should spend the rest of my life with? Bud Light or Miller Lite? You get the point right? But some of our choices in life are really simple and rightfully so. The decision to get out with the family or your best hombre and head out to a local canoe livery is one that can be made instantly or with very little thought. In all reality (and against the better judgment of folks who provide content for J-Stroke) is the fact that you don't need much to hop into a canoe or kayak and just enjoy everything that nature has to offer.

I once canoed down the Detroit River from Belle Isle to Grosse Isle (the Detroit River is not what you think of when you think of nature) and this single trip stands out above all other canoe trips I have ventured on in my life. What made it so great? Well it was the fact that we had 13 canoes in our flotilla and for the three hours we floated the river we could not have wished to be anywhere else in the world.

This is significant for two reasons. 1.) The Detroit River is not peaceful. It is the antithesis of peaceful in fact. There are tons of motorized watercraft, little wildlife, and even less greenry. 2.) You don't want to fall in... period. But this single trip solidified canoeing for me, as the single most enjoyable endeavor I know and it's all because I have found in canoeing a peace of mind that everyday life just cannot hold a candle too. Floating along with 26 friends was so enjoyable for us that we have found time to (basically) all get together once a year to take the three hour trip. As a group we never get together outside of our canoe trip but we all congregate every July and get our float on.

Next time you're planning that family reunion or church choir getaway think about the rivers you drive over everyday. Think about them and then think about the choices you make and how easy life can be when you have a clear river ahead of you and the paddle in your hand to take you down that path.