Lake Life Reimagined
Living on a lake has always been a dream of mine. If I close my eyes, I can almost picture it. The sky blue waves crashing against the shore of our cozy lakeside cottage in Minnesota. Our family gathered around a crackling fire toasting S’mores after a full day boating.
Someday… it will happen.
But for now, the reality is we live in the village of Waunakee, Wisconsin, a charming old farm town not far from many lakes.
What if I reimagined our lake life?
Why wait until we live on the lake in another state to create family memories of boating on the water? We’ve rented cabins before. But that didn’t seem like the safest option during a pandemic. I decided to exploring ways to live our lake life right here, right now in Wisconsin.
One small problem, we don’t own a boat and we aren’t in a position to buy one just yet. I did some research and we found the ideal solution for now. We joined a boat club that gives us access to Lake Mendota, only ten minutes away. My husband has had experience driving a boat, but I have usually been the passenger.
Our daughter wanted to celebrate her 17th birthday by taking her friends boating but my husband wasn’t available to drive. I took a crash course in boater safety, earned my Wisconsin certificate and did on the water training, all in less than 48 hours, just in time for her birthday boat outing.
I didn’t sleep a wink the night before. But once I took the helm, I felt empowered with the wind at my back, the sun shining on my face, and I knew I could do it. I believe my daughter was proud of me. I was proud of myself.
It reminded me, that although I am an excellent first mate, I can also still be the captain of my own ship. I can choose to chart my own course. Navigation can be tricky with the storms we’ve been facing lately. I will not waste any more time waiting for others to take charge.
I’m loving this new lake life reimagined. Even if I’m still living in an old farm town. The lake was always closer than I thought. I just had to make a quarter turn or two to get there.