Water and Rest
- Grace Slaven
- Jul 8
- 5 min read
Tyler and I like to go places.
(Duh, Grace!)
I know, I know, I’m stating the obvious here. Let me try putting it another way!
Featured photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/YPGtuRNXSoDuB4Sf9
May 25th, 2025- Congaree Day 3
A few years ago, Tyler and I attended a marriage conference. Part of the speaker’s presentation introduced us to the Flag Page Solution, a personality survey that measures a person’s passions, motivators, and priorities they carry through life. Now, I love a good personality test. There was a time in high school when I knew my Myers-Briggs, my Enneagram, my Harry Potter house, my love language, and what Marvel Avenger I would be! Naturally, I had to take the Flag Page test too. It was a fascinating experience! The Flag Page isn’t an ordinary personality test. Unlike a Buzzfeed quiz where I could choose the “right” answers to skew my results, the Flag Page was simple, penetrating, and unnervingly accurate. How did an online quiz know that I like to keep my home neat and tidy? How did it know that Tyler has high standards and prefers structured systems? We found ourselves surprised at the accuracy of the results, especially when we both ranked high in the “Never a Dull Moment” category! The Flag Page gave us both the same description for this category. “Grace is a person who is constantly looking for something to do. She simply cannot just sit around doing nothing because her mind naturally searches for action. Because of this love for action, she needs to have a full schedule and live at a pace that will wear some people out.”
I laughed when I read that paragraph for the first time. Sure, we like to keep busy. But do we live at a pace that would wear some people out? I considered the question. Nearly every ounce of our yearly vacation time is dedicated to our goal of visiting all 63 US National Parks. It isn’t uncommon for us to travel bimonthly. When we’re home, we’re tending our garden, preserving food, teaching Sunday School, visiting family, and keeping up with the busy schedule of a photography business. Oh, and we have full time jobs too! I guess we do keep a pretty hectic pace, don’t we?
On that day in Congaree, we didn’t feel very busy. In fact, we even gave ourselves the luxury of sleeping in before beginning our day! It was grey and drizzly when we arrived at the Kingsnake Trailhead. A few years ago, the rain would have been cause for discomfort. Over the course of our frenzied travels, however, we have learned how to adapt! We both have comfortable rain coats that have proved durable during Wyoming downpours. Our cameras are safely stashed in a dry bag. We now wear hiking pants that dry quickly. (We used to wear jeans on our early hikes. Durable, yes. Rainproof? Absolutely not!) Rain is no longer an issue for this well-travelled, busy couple. We just keep on moving!
A line of orange kayaks contrasted with the misty haze of the Congaree swamp. Nearby, a white-bearded man named Billy was handing out red life jackets. In his rain coat and floppy fishing hat, Billy looked a lot like a South Carolina Santa Claus. Grinning in anticipation, Tyler and I joined the line for our own life jackets. We had signed up for a kayak tour of Cedar Creek, an offshoot of the Congaree River. We both enjoy kayaking, so we were sure to enjoy the tour despite the drizzling rain. Now, as we retrieved our life jackets from the kindly Santa Claus figure, I was certain of that fact!
Billy gave us the normal safety spiel before helping each kayaker into their boats. As I settled into mine, Cedar Creek rocked gently beneath me. The rhythm of the water was soothing. My gaze followed the riverbank, lined with tupelo trees and bald cypress. Their branches stretched over the muddy brown expanse of the creek, creating a tunnel that disappeared mysteriously into the low clouds above. It was quiet and beautiful.
As our tour group splashed its way down the creek, the peaceful quiet didn’t last long. Tyler and I, who have never kayaked with strangers, probably should have anticipated this. What else is going to happen when you send 12 kayaks down the river at once? We found ourselves concerned about the fate of one young boy, maybe 14 or so, who had clearly never been in a kayak by himself before. His paddles skimmed the water’s surface fruitlessly as the boy rocked in his little boat, nearly overturning himself on a few occasions. Billy had asked our group if everyone had prior kayak experience before he let us board. Ironically enough, the boy had raised his hand in the affirmative! In a double kayak nearby, a little girl was paddling with enough gusto to fuel five kayaks. Water sprayed everywhere from her enthusiastic strokes. Her mom, sitting behind her, rested her paddles on her knees as she shouted encouragement to the little girl.
“You’re doing a great job, sweetie! You are such a strong paddler! You are the best kayaker on this whole river!”
After the best kayaker on the river accidentally rammed into my boat a few times, I learned to steer clear!
The drizzling rain abated after about an hour, giving our South Carolina Santa Claus the chance to shine as a tour guide. He did a wonderful job! He led us down green-veiled creek paths that could have been borrowed from a Tolkien scene. Billy was acquainted with each sentinel tree that guarded the creek’s edge, calling each by their name as if they were old friends. He found a fluffy barred owlet nestled in the green branches above. It gazed down at us with a sleepy, judgemental expression as our kayaks bumped and rocked at the base of its tree. Billy even found us a red-bellied water snake hiding amongst knotted tree roots. Its round eyes, an indicator of its nonvenomous nature, looked a little startled, as if to say, “How did you find me?” The snake quickly slithered away to a quieter hideaway.
Too soon, our lovely kayak tour came to an end. Billy efficiently rounded us up like a herd of wayward, floating chickens. We awkwardly clambered out of our boats, helped by Billy’s sturdy hand and encouraging smile. I was reluctant to leave. We had such a nice time exploring Cedar Creek, especially led by Billy’s expertise. I smiled at Tyler gratefully. What a unique, enjoyable way to explore a national park! The rest of our day was spent on the road in an attempt to cover a portion of our return trip home. Our Airbnb that night was nestled in Hinton, West Virgina, a town with the motto “Where friends and rivers meet.” True to its motto, the little town curved around the New River, snugly nestled like two spoons in a drawer. After lugging our suitcases up to our room, our restless natures pushed us back out the door. We wandered the streets until sunset, absorbing the quiet charm of the little mountain town. As the evening sky turned dusky blue, we sat on the steps of a church, hands clasped. Every once in a while, we can convince ourselves to slow down and rest. That night, we did just that.
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