I saw a view from the other side. From a kayak. On the lake. Instead of standing on shore with the dog, as I had done in times past, I was looking at them. The men, the women, the couples, the children, the playful dogs.  A viewpoint I had never seen before. An omniscient view from afar.

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They seemed trapped. Confined. To that tiny strip of shore…just 100 meters of freedom. Where their dogs can fetch a tennis ball then obediently return to shore. They have their fun, their freedom for fifteen to twenty mintues, then they hike back up the narrow path to their brand new SUVs. They continue onward to their suburban oversized homes, stopping along the way to stockpile toilet paper and baby’s diapers. They work overtime to pay their monthly mortgages, car payments, credit cards, student loans.

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I sit in the middle of the lake, paddle in my hands. I am free. I can go wherever this kayak takes me. I can go wherever I take me. The whole lake…the whole world at my fingertips. Laid back, feet up, paddle in hand, ready to take it on. The lake. The world.  Whichever direction I choose.