Paddle Boarding for Dummies (and Cameron Diaz Wanna-bes)

The other day I tried something new.  Paddle boarding.  I'd seen photos in People Magazine of Cameron Diaz doing it with what looked like expert technique.  Apparently I am not Cameron Diaz.

My muse, Cameron

I have all the ingredients to be a great paddle boarder.  I have very strong legs, a strong core, good balance and a low center of gravity (one of the very few advantages of being petite or, as some people like to call it, short).  Of course, these ingredients are only "active" when I'm on dry land.  Not so much when you add water.


I was anxious to try this sport.  It's great exercise that works a lot of different parts of your body as exemplified by, you guessed it, Cameron Diaz.  But when I got out there and managed to stand up I looked a lot less like Cameron Diaz and a whole lot more like Shaky the Clown.  At least from the waist down.


The board was wobbling.  It had to have been the board. I mean it couldn't possibly have been me personally what with my strong legs and core, and my incredibly low center of gravity.  I looked down to see what was going on.  The more I looked down the more shaky I got.  Then I looked up to see where I was heading and something miraculous happened.  The shaking stopped!  Hmmm.  Maybe it was me after all.  I paddled for a bit on the left, and then a bit on the right, and managed to propel myself around the cove (what, you thought I'd start out in the ocean?).

Look Ma!  Just like Cameron Diaz (minus the rock hard abs and enviable biceps)

I had gone on this outing with my mom and her girlfriend who is an excellent paddle boarder.  So excellent that she can snap photos while she's out there.  I thought I might like to have a picture of myself looking just like Cameron Diaz.  Well guess what?  The second I turned around to strike my best Cameron Diaz-like, confident athlete pose Shaky the Clown came back and down I went.  It was not pretty.  It was not graceful.  But it was funnier than hell.  Of course I climbed back on immediately and stood up again.  I wasn't going to let one little fall define my paddle boarding debut.


My mom's friend got to shore before me (completely bone dry of course) and I heard her shout out as I drifted in shivering and drenched, "Did you see her fall?!!!?"


I wanted to get mad and scream, "I only fell once, and just for a second...What about all the minutes I was up and paddling?"  But, I let it go.  I was there for fun and relaxation.  And anyway, WWCDD?  What would Cameron Diaz do?  Probably laugh at herself and just brush it off.


So...here I am in all my glory.

Down for the count.

Soaked but still smiling.