Canoeing

By the time you are reading this I will be on a small lake in Northern Ontario where I am very excited to get out in to a canoe and enjoy the day. I love canoeing, it is one of my favourite things ever. There is something about hitting the water in a canoe that reminds me to keep it simple. A canoe is so efficient, so practical and Canada was basically founded and developed in these things. But as I paddle I am also aware of just how simple it is. As I make my way across a lake or down a river, I go slowly and quietly, and instead of the world whizzing by, I notice it and experience it.
There is nothing really fancy about canoes and after hundreds of years the basic design and concept hasn't changed very much. You have what you need and that is it. Consider our culture and society inundated with busyness, overburdened with stuff and overwhelmed by all that we have to accomplish and the contrast could not be more stark. The canoe itself challenges me to be simple but when I start thinking about portaging (carrying the canoe and all my stuff over land from one body of water to the next) I am challenged to think even harder about keeping it simple and carrying only what I need. I should think about such things while at home as well. After all, the more technology I have, which is supposed to help me finish my tasks more quickly and efficiently, has only seemed to create room for more tasks! And really, although I can make a good argument as to how technology can be used to help nurture a spiritual life, most of these things just distract me and allow me to fill my day with empty business. My spiritual life can become less attended to and more superficial.
Oh that I could bring some of what the canoe represents into all areas of my life: focus on what in essential, keep it simple, slow down and savour, don't be distracted and take it all in!