Don't Be a Victim

Mljet, Croatia. September 2011

Born with a very energetic temper, I always had a sportive look. But I never found something to put myself into. I grew up in a village so obviously HAD to play basketball as a kid, although now at my top height I am maybe 157 cm, on a good day… I use to hike long hiking trips as a teenager but never regularly. Yoga was better in a later stage in my life, and my great Mountain Bikes are at times begging to be used.

But when I sat in a kayak the first time I knew this is it. Though I am not a fast or strong paddler, I try and paddle every day when not guiding groups.  I do my best to get better and as a part of that effort (and of course because it is fun), I never miss the annual Symposium in Optimist club in Israel, in which guides are coming from various countries and teach. It is an amazing atmosphere with great energy, many Kayaks and Kayakers in the water for 4 days, morning till the afternoon.

 In one of those I have joined a clinic with Jeff Allen on handling difficult situations in high sea. Jeff suggested, if anyone comes to rescue you, don't just wait but help to be rescued. He called it- Don't be a victim. I then understood something about me and sport, physical difficulty always use to bring me to the point of starting to feel sorry for myself, and then I would be angry with myself and spend the rest of my energy there. And so I adopted Jeff's ideal and even in personal life, when things got rough, I would find myself reminding myself- Don't Be a Victim.

Last week I went paddling with a friend for a week around Mljet area, Croatia. It was a magical week in a paradise for kayakers and we both liked the place a lot. Days were not so short and I was happy to find that I do keep up.  In one of the evenings we were heading to camp a little too late in quite a bumpy sea. As the waves were shaking me from side to side I was happy as a kid in Disney World. We played close to the rocks, caching the most energetic point of the waves to move faster and were taking a lot of Photographs. But as the day started to end and dark started to take over, I wasn't so happy. I knew we still had quite a way ahead of us. It wasn't something to worry about but as time went by I was trying to see what could we have done to plan the day better. It was a long dialog with myself as I was quietly paddling along my friend. I then felt a familiar feeling sneaking in and taking all my energy. Yes…I was starting to feel sorry for myself.

Hey, psps, I heard Jeff Allan's deep voice coming out of the dark. Don't be a Victim.

Boy was I happy for the remindment!!!  I told myself to gather some more energy and paddle. No one will bring me to camp if I don’t bring myself. And of course, the evening finished well in a safe place.

As I saw my brother a while ago preparing for his first Iron Man I asked him what comes to his head when things go rough. He said he then thinks of something one of our previous Generals of the army said in one of the battles, that when it's raining, everyone get wet. I told him about Jeff's" Don’t be a victim". He said he liked it and will consider adopting it…