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“Canoe”

Why is it that when we try our hardest we fail but when we work while distracted we manage it better? Could it be that our bodies work best in autopilot, without interruption? Or could it be that we ourselves don’t know how to work something best?

The heat in the afternoon air made my lungs feel like I was breathing in the flames of a burning stove. It was almost painful to be outside but the water surrounding me felt like some kind of saving grace.
My friend and I were floating down the river side by side. The feeling of being beside her felt relaxing versus the few people stopping and watching us that gave me some anxiety. What kind of cruel words were they speaking as they glared at us?
She reminded me not to get so worked up over them, as there was nothing they could speak behind our backs that could hurt us. It helped some but it was something difficult to forget about.
We climbed out of the water after wading our feet for a few minutes. We grabbed our canoe and dragged it into the water. Carefully, we climbed inside and, paddles in hand, we pushed ourselves into the water.
The gentle water rocked the boat ever so slightly but it didn’t worry us too much. She knew what she was doing and I was next to clueless, save for the few videos I watched about it online. 
She sat in front and I in back. We were on our knees to ensure the boat wouldn’t flip, and paddled down the river. 
It’s so easy to see or hear about someone doing it, but there was something about doing it yourself that made everything so much more terrifying. 
She and I paddled downstream until we came across this big rock that stuck out in the middle of the water. We panicked at first. We were doing so well paddling, this obstacle comes along and threatens to wipe us out.
I held on tight, making certain we weren’t going to fall out. We rocked back and forth against the rapids as we got closer and closer to the rock. She looked back to me with a twisted grin on her face. What was she planning?
She rocked the boat from side to side, feeling the resistance of the waves against us. She began to cackle as she pushed and pulled harder and faster until we tipped over. We never made it back above the water.

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