Yesterday, I got to ride 20 miles of whitewater. I’ve been here in Montana for 7 years, and it’s the first time I have been on a raft since moving here.
The funny thing is, for the two years prior to moving here, I was a weekend raft guide. I had a lot of fun with it and actually tried to be a raft guide again when I moved here. I didn’t because they wanted me to pay for training, and at the time, I was broke. Well, that’s what I said.
I was actually annoyed that they wanted me to pay for training in a skill I already had. My ego flared my temper, and I never tried again.
Yesterday, on the water, I was talking with the guide and found out this outfitter didn’t require any payment to be a guide, and they had been around for years. I just didn’t get around to calling them because I allowed my self to be annoyed and disheartened so quickly by the guiding outfit I did talk to.
Now, I have had a great and adventurous time exploring the wilderness and backcountry spaces here in Montana. I do not regret how I’ve spent so much of my free time. But, I do regret giving up so easily on something I enjoyed.
It was a powerful reminder of how easily we can give up on opportunities. And how important it can be that we don’t.