TBA would like to introduce: "Kayak Therapy 101"---DO YOU EVEN YAK BRO?Kayak Therapy 101 Have you ever said any of these statements or asked these questions to yourself? (I have!) I want to get away and go to a place I can feel in charge. I need to feel in control of something in my life again. I want to do something, but I don't know anyone, and I don't know what to do. I need to find something I am good at; Wait, what AM I good at? I want to go outside, but I can't go outside. I can't talk to my family, it's a conversation they don't need to hear. I can do this alone, until I can't. How can I save myself, from myself--if I myself--do not feel like I need saving. If you see something that I do not, from an outsiders perspective, please say something. Save my life, from myself. Tell me you want to go kayaking--and that will make my day. I WANT TO: BE a part of the solution. Reach out to someone. Try something new. Hang out with cool people that kayak and go camping. (Don't worry, we have gear!) Challenge yourself today and reach out to someone, even if you don't need it, the person you reach out to, just might. Even if you can't swim, you can kayak. (Sorry Navy--you don't have to get in the water, you just have to get in the vessel, NO EXCUSES!!) I want to be part of the solution in my own life and in order to do that--I need a support system that helps me get the BUCK outside. Once I get outside, you can not stop me. I am no longer staring at the four walls that I feared ever leaving from. I am in the water-(whether it be calm as ice or rough and wet), I look forward to taking people out on the water. I can bundle up if it's cold or I can bring them down to the sand and surround them with a camp fire by the beach or the bay. Either way, kayaking saved my life. It put me in front of something that I enjoy sharing with others. The experience alone is not enough to describe in words, but the look on their faces when they hit that water----is PRICELESS. I know how that feels and I could not hide that feeling from anyone looking to heal in their own personal journey. The Kayaks got me in the water, but the CAMARADERIE, keeps me coming back. The group helped me "just show up" and I get to share that exact moment with others as they uncover peace another day moving forward. It's a transition and a process, I know very well, and the fact that I can be a part of a team of people that believe in helping others like me, I'M ALL IN. A veteran in transition from MILITARY LIFE-TO CIVILIAN LIFE- can tread some pretty deep waters. It's a shock to say the least--as to "what is next?" When the military is all you know--where do you go? I knew for me, (even though I was 25 years out of the Army)-- Not one person could understand me, like another veteran could. THE CAMARADERIE. THE LAUGHTER. THE STILL DARK NIGHT. KAYAKING IS WHERE IT IS AT AND THAT IS WHERE I WILL BE. DO YOU EVEN 'YAK BRO? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- JOIN US ON OUR NEXT KAYAKING TRIP--OR ASK FOR A KAYAKING 101 TOUR "This idea of Kayaking with other veterans was not something that was pre-planned, but it is something I look forward to when a fellow veteran or veterans reaches out to me and ask if they can go." -LJ Whittier
Do you 'yak Bro? It started with a post and a pic on Triple B' Adventures Facebook page about my new found passion: Kayaking. I asked if anyone else had any kayaks and wanted to join up and hit the water. I was in for an unexpected response which led to an unofficial first kayaking event that I was able to organize. It is always more of an impromptu meeting of one other person reaching out to another. I was new to kayaking myself, but I was smart enough (or just scared enough) to always take someone with me. Getting out on the water, from start to finish, is a process in itself. From putting the kayaks on the SUV, to driving some where that makes it worth all the work to do it. Then taking it down and carrying it down to the water, setting it in the sand and finding the right position to get in. When I go alone, I take the rough ride through the San Diego Bay because I love to paddle and swim where all the bigger boats and yachts are docked and where I get splashed around a little. The weather is always perfect for kayaking---rain or shine---because there is always a place you can 'yak in the waters. The possibilities are endless. You want healing like you've never experienced? Triple B Adventures is a place where veterans come together in support of other veterans. TBA caters to a community of veterans in transition--no matter the stage in which one is transitioning. We offer a range of resources to help veterans get outside and back into an environment that heals their heart and minds. Whether it be on the waters: Kayaking or fishing OR in the mountains: camping, hiking, or hunting; campfire therapy is transforming the lives of veterans and giving them a new lease on life. If you are a veteran or you know a veteran that is in transition and in need of a hand up or is looking to help other veterans (in turn helping themselves) Please contact us!!
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I was surrounded by the same four walls in my room and honestly, I was tired of looking at them. I cried, a lot. I stared for days, with anticipation, on what life looked like from outside these four walls. I was stuck. It felt like every day was a new day, with new opportunities, but every time I woke up in the morning, those same four walls was all I had. I began to spiral downwards and I knew I had to do something to pull myself from this destructive thought process and I knew I could not do it alone. I had plenty of days where my only outlet was swiping up the screen on my phone and staring at social media to find “something” that would draw me out of isolation and into the lives of others. “Every decision you make indicates what you believe you are worth”.I decided the only way I would survive myself would be to step outside of fear and reach out to other veterans that felt the same. I came across a group of veterans that challenged me to “think outside the box”. I was envious that they were doing all the “things” in life that once used to bring me joy. By “things” I am speaking of: camping, hiking, fishing, hunting---and they looked to be really “connected” to each other and each other’s day. I wanted that. I wanted that so bad, but it wasn’t my time; at least so I thought. “Your story”, is just that: a story. It does not define what you are capable of. I was still recovering from four surgeries; one after the next. I continued to watch from the sidelines as they went live on social media and I bi-curiously lived through watching other veterans laugh and enjoy life. And, I laughed. I laughed a lot; until I cried. I cried because I knew I had to make some changes within my own life if I wanted to be a part of something greater than myself. I cried with relief and with anxiety and fear, but I did not stop my own personal search to find a group that I could relate to. If anything, it made me think more about what I enjoyed doing that may help me step outside of my own comfort zone. What I enjoyed doing the most was being outside, and yet I had not left my bedroom in years. I was telling myself the same story, instead of challenging myself to create a new one. If I wanted something different, I had to do something different. I had to decide if I wanted to stay in my past or if I wanted to change my own future. I had to decide what the rest of my “story” would look like, moving forward. Make the decision to make a decision. My next decision would save my life. I reached out remotely. If I could not be there physically, what could I do that would alter my current situation? I made one connection with one veteran and decided that I would do whatever I could do to help, under my current circumstances. I may not have been able to “show up” physically, but mentally---I was exposing myself. I was vulnerable in a way I hadn’t been able to be, in years. I found small ways to use the connections I had already established--to bring a sense of purpose back into my life. I made the decision to make a decision and I decided to “show up”. These four walls may have been my nemesis, but in a way, they were also my leverage to “get the buck outside.” I didn’t want to watch from the sidelines anymore and if it meant committing to something “bigger than myself”, then I had to be honest with another and share why I needed a hand up. I had to decide to make a different decision every day if I wanted my story to change outside of these four walls. I had to trust someone other than myself because for so many years, my brain was saying the same thing and it was getting old, fast. Your brain has been lying to you, “You are not alone”. In speaking to another veteran, I was invited to “show up” to an event. I accepted the invitation. Now, please do not be mistaken, was I petrified? Yes! Was I on time? No, I almost did not go. What happened next, gave me anxiety like no tomorrow, but it worked. I was not alone and my brain was lying to me. On the morning of the event, that same veteran messaged me on social media and asked me where I was. In the middle of my own chaos and while he was attending this life-changing event, I told this veteran that I was still in bed---not sure of if I could muster up the courage to attend. His next message was unexpected, but exactly what I needed to hear. “It doesn’t matter that you are late, just show up. Get dressed and get your a** over here!” And that is exactly what I did. If you are a veteran that is struggling, isolated, and feeling alone--you are not alone. There are thousands of veterans across the nation that wake up feeling just like you; the only difference is they are showing up in their own lives, by showing up for other veterans when they feel like they can not. It is not easy, but nothing GREAT ever is. Find one person. Connect with that one person. BE honest with that one person. Lean on that one person. Trust that one person. Step outside of fear and give yourself the opportunity to “just show up”. This may seem like a lot to do in the beginning, but it gets better. You do not have to be at home, alone, in your thoughts, living the same story every day. You do not have to believe that there is nothing left for you to accomplish. You do not have to do life alone. Two things that are required of you: Reach out and show up. Whatever that looks like for you; Just show up. |