“You Can Do This!”

I checked my watch. It was 3 a.m. I was still tossing and turning. At wit’s end, I eased out of bed, trying not to wake my wife, walked into the bathroom, and started doing pushups. My hope was I could tire myself out enough to get some rest.

Fifty pushups later, I was more awake than ever. I drank some water, stood in front of the open bedroom window to cool down, and returned to bed. 

My mind—the real problem—was still spinning. The next day I had promised my wife I could pick up a surf boat from the rental shop, launch it, drive it all day, load it, and return it unharmed. The driving part didn’t bother me. The launching and loading and trailering it around our town did. 

Over and over, my mind mapped the route I would take to the boat ramp, how I would back it up, how I would turn the wheel to get the trailer to do what I wanted. 

I was a mess. Eventually, the sky turned pink, and I gave up. 

I got out of bed, made some coffee, answered some emails, and basically tried to distract myself until it was time to leave for the rental shop. 

At the last minute, I chickened out. I called a buddy and he agreed to help me. It was the best thing I’ve ever done. He was patient and, since he speaks “Rodney” was able to teach me everything I needed to know about launching and loading a big boat. He saved the day. And, really, he saved the summer. 

Over and over, he told me, “You can do this!” 

In the end, he was right. 

Since that stressful experience, I’ve loaded and launched wave runners, pontoons, and wake boats. This winter, I’ve been using the new skillset to transport rented snowmobiles and UTVs to various trailheads, providing access to the untouched backcountry around our mountain home. 

Looking back at the year, I realized I’d picked up quite a few new skills—rock climbing, surfing, backcountry navigation, and more. Each new skill was accompanied by a lot of trial and error, but in the back of my mind was always the same thought—"I can do this!”

I thought this was a good message as we head into a new year—one sure to be full of challenges and opportunities. That’s my message to you this year—"You can do this!”—whatever “this” is. 

I hope you enjoy our first issue of 2023. We sure enjoyed creating it. 

Till next month…

Rodney J. Auth

Publisher

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