When was the last time something effected you, so deeply, that it caused you to step out of your comfort zone and act. Have you ever had one of those moments where the enormity of a kind act, just stopped you in your tracks? Retrospect can be a humbling and empowering experience. A moment that changes everything and the ripple effect goes beyond your realm of imagination.
I started building kayaks about thirteen years ago. It was a way for me to focus my nervous energy and, with luck keep me out of trouble. In time, it has become the center of my professional life. My creative energy is sometimes like trying to put lightning in a bottle. Building kayaks is what keeps me centered. Artistry in the craft and artistry with a paddle is a marriage of skills that I am constantly trying to master.
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About a year ago, a meeting changed my perception of the importance of all this. Deb Walters came to the shop and we hashed out a plan to enhance her existing boat, for a 2500 mile journey form Maine to Guatemala. "We can't" or "It's not possible" never crossed my mind. It was simply a matter of finding a way and getting it done. That was the beginning of something that has changed almost everything.
It was the day she came to do the final fitting and test paddle. She was telling me a story about the kids and the challenges they face. What we see as "annoyances" and "problems" in life, are trivial in comparison to the day to day struggle for the kids of the Guatemala Garbage Dump. They have no path to success as we do here in the U.S.. No education, no future. What Deb is doing, is raising money by paddling from her home to theirs. By expanding the school, the kids are getting something more powerful than just hope. They are getting an education and the tools to be successful. They are being empowered to have control of their own destiny. Then came the epiphany, building this boat will ultimately change the course lives, for generations, by breaking the cycle for the kids of the dump. The thought still sends shivers down my spine. The project took on a more profound meaning at that moment. It wasn't just a kayak and this wasn't just an expedition anymore.
Deb landed in Annapolis today, for a homecoming of sorts. The boat started here as a kit in '97 and returned to receive enhancements for the trip last winter. As I was observing Deb talk to the press, that same feeling came over me again. The reoccurring awe, in all of this, is the outpouring of generosity by complete strangers. The kayaking community has embraced this trip and Deb. They have opened their homes and spread the word. A woman came up to her today and stated "You inspire me". Deb's reply was, the kids inspired her. Then it hit me again, in a most profound way. Unknowingly, kids in a country on the other side of the equator, have set forth a chain of events that may brighten the future for themselves and their families. Where will it all stop? With passion and and inspiration, it won't.
http://www.safepassage.org/Kayak
http://kayakforsafepassagekids.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/KayakForSafePassageKids?fref=ts
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