The Love of Paddle Boarding
By: Michelle Preble
I wanted to start our very first paddle season off with a little bit of love and gratitude. This is a love of mine that runs deep and I am so excited to offer new adventures for everyone to enjoy and so thankful for Aaron and his neverending support and encouragement, Marcelo for taking the chance on my little (big) dreams, and Nancy for her amazing food and generosity while we worked to get it all up and running. It's pretty surreal to see all of it come to life!
I grew up always in or around water. My mom was from Florida and we just always knew the ocean and pools. Colorado brought us lakes, reservoirs, and rivers. There was a lot of fishing, boating, and camping growing up and I have always felt the most peace when I am by or on the water. I even taught swim lessons because I just love everything about the water. One day in 2017 I had been camping with my family and they were all fishing and kayaking. We were having a blast but I was looking for something different, something for me. I decided to take up paddle boarding and I was instantly hooked. I love the board gliding across the water and there is nothing like the feeling of doing yoga on a paddle board, it became my ultimate reset button.
When 2020 hit, I was learning to adjust to some new life changes and then the world shut down. Staying inside was not for me so I immersed myself in my yoga studies and took my kids and boards to the lakes every chance I could get, which was often! I made the decision to take my Stand Up Paddle Board Yoga teacher training that summer of 2020 and I ended up learning about myself on such a deeper level. We were out there doing water rescues and flipping boards to learn how to help get someone back on if they were to have a little swim during a class and needed a little assistance, it was so exhilarating and empowering. Not going to lie, I totally felt like a bad ass!
There are things you never thought you could do and then you do them and you really come to understand that you can do anything in this world with the right mindset. Paddle boarding is a reminder to me that everything I do is a mental mind game. I either talk myself out of it or I go out and have the best time. I had the opportunity to paddle the Gulf of Mexico and I sat giving gratitude to Yemaya, the Goddess of the Ocean, for quite a while before I picked my board and paddle up. I respect the water, I know she can change at any time, I've had to sprint across lakes with wicked white caps due to that being the best course of action so I know first hand how quickly she can change and if you're unprepared for the unpredictable you're going to have a bad time. That day on the Gulf, I was pounded by a couple good waves and my respect grew to a whole new level. I had the most fun ever on the Gulf and I've been itching to go paddle so many other bodies of water.
But, the best part of all of it is that my children have been paddling just as long and have gotten to share this love with me. My daughter is 12 and goes out with so much confidence and my son is 8 and gets to do his very first year with no paddle buddy on board and he's so stoked about it. As for my baby and our littlest paddler, well, she will be cruising the waters in no time! This really is for the whole family and we encourage everyone to bring their families out!
We have big plans with Paddle in the Valley, but mostly we plan on empowering everyone young and old to try something new, learn more about themselves, and to hit the pause button. We do so much every day, it's time to make time for adventures and living your life with intention. I love seeing the smiles and hearing the "I did it!" That's why we're here, that's why I do this.
"We're all just walking each other home."-Ram Dass
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