We recently had made plans to meet a friend at the harbor and get her launched with her new kayak. As it turned out, the weather was not very cooperative.
Although when my husband and I first started out it was chilly, by the time our friend had arrived it was drizzly, windy and foggy (or very misty). So we sat in the cabin for a while and then it actually started raining and the fog horn began blasting its short bursts sending alarm to all. Oh boy!
We chatted and got caught up until it eventually stopped raining and the moisture lightened up as did the foggy haze. So we seized the moment, launched the kayak and enjoyed sharing the excitement of a new kayaker on the water with coaching, cheering, instructing and encouraging. The weather was manageable and the company enjoyable.
Visibility was limited but descent, chill was present (too chilly for me to paddle as she kayaked) but she was “happier than words can say.” Knowing she would need to launch herself from Baby Beach eventually, we decided to drive our dinghy and tow the kayak to Baby Beach for her to practice there. So we set out on the half mile jaunt.
As we proceeded, it was getting colder, rainier and foggier. We were very cold, wet and literally in a fog. Yet we splashed on and arrived at our destination. Each noted on the short trip, how long it seemed to be taking, and each was probably thinking, “What in the world are we doing out in this?”.
When we arrived at our destination, it was not as foggy or windy, so kayaking around was again a pleasure and learning curve for our friend who was totally loving it, minus the cold wind on the way. She was even able to paddle herself back, learning the currents, winds, vessel rules and paddle strokes as we drove alongside of her in the dinghy.
By the time we arrived back at the boat, the fog had totally lifted, the moisture entirely gone from the air, the skies were blue, and we were hot and very happy campers (or kayakers). What a difference! What a change from when we first started out. We hadn’t the foggiest notion such a change would be granted to us.
We were able to spend some more quality time in the warm sun, enjoying a late lunch and each other’s company. The fog had lifted for us beautifully.
Foggy similarities:
- Fog forms in the difference between cold and warm air (air temperature & dew point) – my mind will be a little foggy or a lot foggy when there are major highs and lows in my life. I need stability, level paths, consistency, routine, regularity.
- Fog lowers visibility – I can see nothing clearly when my head space is foggy. In a fog, it is solid objects that cast shadows. Everything I see is off, because of fog’s affect.
- As air heats up, fog disappears – doing something, getting moving, starting something will warm me up and the mental fog will disappear. The hotter I get, the brighter it will become.
- Being fogged in – even though the environment is currently telling me I’m unable to move about safely, I won’t allow myself to get fogged in. There are ways to keep on splashing through the fog. Find them. Heat up the air. See the fog lift.
- Fog can disappear as suddenly as it appears – this “flash fog” depends on humidity and temperature. So again, fight off coldness, cooling off, chilling out too much and I will see flash fog flee.
- Fog drip – the California Redwood Forests receive 30-40% of their moisture from coastal fog. This is called fog drip. Be sure to collect and use the fresh water that falls on you during your foggy days, even the fog has a purpose in your life.
- Fog can play a key role in historical events – George Washington and his troops escaped capture in the fog in August, 1776. On the beaches of Normandy in WWII the Allies landed in foggy conditions. Both positive and negative results can come from foggy, impaired visibility.
- When your heart is right, conditions can’t stop you – the power for our decisions comes from the condition of our heart. Learning to persevere in spite of conditions and through elements is a life skill in need of sharpening. Forging on, in wisdom and strength is possible and needed in the human experience. We can drive foggy mindedness away by our decisive actions.
“The fog of illusions, the fog of confusion is hanging over all the world. “
Van Morrison
“Sometimes it all gets a little too much, but you gotta realize that soon the fog will clear up.”
Shawn Mendes
” Faith is like radar that sees through the fog.”
Corrie Ten Boom
When it’s foggy, ships need to hear the fog horn signals – it’s a matter of life and death.
I trust within these stories and comparisons, you will be able to hear and respond to the signals in your own life of being a little foggy.
Cheers to you.
Under Debra’s Palm 