I absolutely love summer. Long beach walks, sitting outside by the fire pit, and especially—kayaking. Those are the signs of summer at our house.

We’ll be dragging out the kayaks soon, giving them their annual rinse (read: washing out the spiders—ugh!) and preparing for our first launch at the local pond. Pure heaven!

Thinking about kayaking reminded me of one particularly memorable trip… in Alaska.

We spent the day paddling across icy blue waters, spotting salmon leaping through the air, whales breaking the surface, and bald eagles soaring overhead. We stopped for a stretch and a picnic onshore. It was picture-perfect.

And then our guide shared a story I’ve never forgotten.

A few years earlier, he led a small group of adults on a similar kayaking trip. At first, everything went smoothly. They started paddling… until they didn’t. Apparently, after a while, the group just stopped. Completely.

It was “too hard,” they said. “Not what they expected.” So they sat there, bobbing on the water like a bunch of seaweed, while the guide had to strap all their kayaks together and paddle everyone back to shore—by himself. No help, no effort, and to top it off? They didn’t even tip him.

I still think about that story sometimes, because honestly? It reminds me of relationships.

You start out excited. You’re in sync. You’re paddling together. Then life happens. The water gets choppy. The rhythm breaks. And sometimes? One person just stops paddling. They’re overwhelmed, exhausted, or just checked out. Meanwhile, the other person is left doing all the work—alone in a tandem kayak of life.

It happens. It’s human. But here’s the thing: when one person stops, it means the other has to carry the load. And that gets heavy—fast.

So yes, take a break when you need to. Pause, breathe, float for a while. But then? Pick up the paddle again.

And for heaven’s sake—if someone’s paddled your tired self to shore, at least offer a tip. Something like:
“Thanks for making dinner.”
“Hey, I noticed you handled that tough day with grace.”
Or even, “You didn’t flip the kayak when I stopped paddling—you’re amazing.”

Trust me, small gestures go a long way. Especially when you’re both in the same boat.

—Peni