Taking my canoe for a walk

Good morning,
I pray the day finds you well.

People have been asking me, "Other than going to the Dairy Farm what have you been doing during this Covid-19 Pandemic? Other than working from home I have been taking my canoe for a walk.

Normally, or should I say before the Covid-19 Pandemic I would take my wife and my dog and canoe on one of the lakes we have. But with the new normal of not leaving your house, or in our case property, I have been taking my canoe for a walk.

Taking a canoe for a walk is an old tradition, it arose from the Native Americans and then first explorers to this New World. In Canada it is called Portaging. In America it is called Portaging. I can see there needs to be a bit of explanation. In Canada it is called Poortajing in Webster's it is pronounced pȯr-ˈtäzh. In America it is called Portadging in Webster's it is pronounced pȯr-tij . You could ask, "Why the difference?" but it would be much the same as why a person from Kansas, (remember I am from Kansas) asking a person in California the directions to La Jolla, and the Californian would respond with disgust, "You mean La Hoya, California? the "J" is silent and the two "LL's" are sounded as a "Y". when I asked they said, "I don't know, it is a Spanish thing." So my answer to the portaging question is, "I don't know, it is a Canadian/French thing.

I looked up the word "Portage" and it literally means, "Man/person who walks with a canoe on their head." Or in other words, "Man/person who wears a canoe for a hat."

In all actuality, I am walking around my property with my canoe as a hat for two reasons:
1. I am doing this to stay in shape. It, as my wife would say, "Is a practical way to work out."
2. It keeps the rain off my head.

Henry David Thoreau once said, "If you are lucky enough to paddle, you are lucky enough."
Regor Nottub once said, "If you are lucky enough to Portage, you ran out of water and must find more."

Portaging is part of canoeing, so being in shape to portage just makes sense, my wife's wisdom is sound.

As I walk around my property wearing my canoe as a hat I have plenty of time to think. Things I tend to think about:
1. This sucks.
2. I wonder how God is using this experience to mold me? I actually think about that a lot.

The Covid-19 Pandemic of 2020 will change us. The real question is how will it change us?

My hope, and I know it is possible, "Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26) that we can come out of this being better, a better version of ourselves.

I am not exactly sure what that will look like. Hopefully, we will do less finger pointing, less blaming, less victimizing. Hopefully we will show much more love, respect, honesty, responsibility and service toward each other.

As I said before, "As I go through this journey, I don't get wrapped around the axle about stuff anymore. The things that I once thought of as important aren't as important to me anymore.

Things I find important:
Showing love to each other.
Being respectful to each other.
Being honest with each other.
Being responsible for our actions, and thoughts.
Providing service to each other.

I think if we concentrate on those things we will be a better version of ourselves.

That I what God is working on with me as I take my canoe for a walk.

Blessings,
Roger