I’ve kind of always wanted to be on a boat while someone was blasting that “on a boat” song. And now I have. 😜

That was actually the third best part of my day yesterday. I realize why it’s a thing. There was a lot of prep and errands leading up to this excursion so we weren’t out on the water until like noon. The company rented a pontoon boat which had partial shade thank the Universe, or me and my pasty white skin would not have made it through.

Pontoon boats don’t go fast, so we basically got out of the dock are in the open water and cruised along the reservoir for about an hour. After a while I was kind of thinking about how everything looks the same no matter which way we went and hoping I was with People who wouldn’t get lost. The lake was Huge.

Eventually they decided on a spot to stop and drop the anchor. Now I’ve never done anything like this before so I was basically following everyone’s lead. They all got in the water. Yikes. It was definitely not the time to bring up the fact that I have a mild fear of drowning because I’ve had not one, but two near terrible experiences where drowning was a threat.

As I stood there at the back of the boat and watched them thinking about what was going to happen next, one dude said, “are you getting in”. I responded without hesitation… “not without one of those” and pointed at the float devices which had all been spoken for at that point. He promptly swam back and let me have his. At that point I was sure I was the center of attention (which is also not awesome). He asked if I knew how to swim.

I said “I know how to not die”. It’s true. I could swim to the shore if I had to, but free float in the water is not my style. The water was fine, I floated around a while and chatted with different people about nothing of consequence and pretty soon people were getting back in the boat to have food and drink. Great idea!!

We hung out for quite a while. It was actually really relaxing just sitting on the boat with the breeze, pondering life. I was drinking a little but not enough to even get a buzz. It was a good afternoon. Before we pulled up the anchor everyone got back in one more time. I grabbed the float thing again and this time just laid on it and let the waves in the water float me away.

I almost ran into another person and then struck up a conversation with him. I’m so much better and more comfortable with one on one conversations. It was another one of the founders of the company, whom I had not worked with or talked to in the past. Another great guy. These people are all pretty great. We chatted for a bit and then were hailed back to the boat because it was time to head back. Three of us had flights to catch, myself included.

The boat excursion would be my last taste of Nashville and it was great to end the trip on a high note. I mean, I may not have made it sound that great, but anytime I get a chance to test my fears, overcome a challenge, be outside on this beautiful planet pondering my existence is a pretty amazing time.

The trip home was just as revealing. It was the second best part of my day. With each step and flight and car ride closer to my home, I felt more happiness and relief. Yes, the trip was intended to be a fun retreat, which it was, but it was still work and as such I set expectations for myself which took some effort to meet.

I wanted to make a great first impression. I hope I did. And now that I’m home I’m hoping to have a little time to reflect on all of it. I’ve got some decisions I need to make rather quickly and I don’t want thinking about Work interfere with my vacation too much.

And last, but certainly nor least, the very best part of my day… being picked up at the airport by my love who brought me flowers from his garden. As he handed them to me he said “I know the rules, these are from the yard”. 😊 Now HE’S a keeper!!!

He exceeds every expectation. Nobody has ever parked the car and met me inside before. He’s certainly never late and he’s extremely thoughtful. He took my bags and opened my car door and then drive me to my house. He was perceptive enough to recognize how tired I was and to just see me in safely and then leave me to recover from my travels.

It’s a good thing too because I was deliriously tired. Yeah, dizzy tired AND got called on to do a work thing from the west coast (which I knew was coming so that wasn’t a surprise). I got that done and fell to sleep right away after. That’s why I’m doing my final recap of my third and final day in Nashville from this treadmill in Nebtaska.

Four plane rides down. Eight to go.

Next stop… destination unknown!!

~Miss SugarCookie