The paddleboard glided in under the rock cliff and gently nosed the shore. My daughter, ready for a taste of summer, jumped off, pulled the board fully onto the beach and climbed the path to the top of the rock 10 feet or so above the lake. With a quick look around, she jumped as far away from the rock as possible and plummeted with a squeal of glee into pristine, ice-cold water.
Her splash caught my smiling face as I bobbed on my board out in the water—playing the part of lifeguard. She quickly surfaced and with a wave and a holler, swam back to shore for another leap.
As I sat there, legs straddling the board, drifting in the water on either side, I realized summer had finally arrived and it felt great. No amount of bad news could alter the simple joy of floating on a lake under the summer sun.
