I miss the days when my uncle had a boat and the whole gaggle of us would head out to the lake.  Back then I was too young to water ski, so I just enjoyed the feeling of being strapped in my life vest and watching my cousin Maury tear it up on the waves.  I hoped one day I’d be brave and cool enough to do what he did, but the family trips ended before I got the chance to try.

Fortunately, my chance to hit the open waters came when I was in high school.  I rocked the inner tube (as well as other floatation devices strapped to the back of the boat), but I could never quite get the hang of the skis.  I’ll put it this way: in my first attempt to ski, I drank more water than Sparkletts delivers in a week.  Ouch.

Every time the boat revved up, I held on as tight as I could and prayed I’d survive.  I was hell bent on getting up on the skis but gravity – and my lack of upper body strength – was even more determined to keep me down.  Finally, after swallowing at least 50 gallons of lake water, I let go of the rope and came to grips with the fact that I’m a better buoy than a skier.  Oh well.

Despite the fact that I couldn’t will my body to adhere to my athletic wishes, I still had a great time at the lake.  I enjoyed time with friends and participating in both aquatic and non-aquatic activities of the day such as roasting marshmallows and dominating the camp with my sweet water gun skills.

One could say I gave up too soon or quit when it got too tough – I didn’t.  I just knew when it was right to let go, move on, and stop wasting my energy on something that was wearing down the boat and me.

I’m convinced that life works the same way.  Sometimes you have to be stronger than steel to endure a situation; other times you have to conjure up an equal amount of strength just to be able to let something or someone go.

I’m not saying to give up when things get tough.  Certain situations (and people) require us to stick through the muck until we’re back on solid ground.  It’s only time to let go if what is frustrating you or dragging you down is bringing more harm than good.  Or, as this wannabe water skier would say, if you’re eating too much water it’s time to drop the rope.

The advantage of life versus water skiing is that if you have a good support system of friends and/or family around you, they’ll start waving flags before you’re sunk.  In water skiing, no one’s waving a flag unless you’re already up to your neck in H2O.  I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather heed the flags before I’m fish bait.

It takes quite a few tumbles to learn the balance between knowing when to tighten your grip and when to let go – rarely is one choice easier than the other.  But if you’re listening to your heart and paying attention to flags, you’ll be gliding on water instead of drowning in it.  And if all else fails, stock up on floaties =).