By Shelly Preszler
To celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary five years ago, my husband, Todd, and I decided to take a little overnight trip to Lanesboro, Minnesota. We were living near Rochester at the time while Todd was completing his Residency at the Mayo Clinic. It seemed like a great idea for a night away.
I couldn’t wait to finally have a little peace from the chaos that had ensued our family over the years. Lanesboro is well known for it’s quaint shops, bed and breakfasts and miles of breath taking biking trails that meander along the Root River. After much cajoling, my good friend Sue came through for us and watched our lively crew for the night. Todd and I were thrilled at the thought of getting away; I remember literally jumping into the pickup complete with camping gear, bikes, and our canoe. One of the B&B’s would have surely seemed nice but I’m partial to tents. As my brother Joe would say, “There’s two ways to do things: the easy way and the Preszler way!”
It had been raining heavily all spring, but on May 17th there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. We had a lovely meal at one of those cozy restaurants. I vividly recall the waitress commenting on how she couldn’t believe it was our 20th anniversary, and we couldn’t possibly have six children. I loved that waitress, and needless to say, I left her a hefty tip! We ended the night with a relaxing campfire as we gazed at the stars, overcome by both the stillness and quiet of the night.
We woke up bright and early to begin our canoe trip. The riverbanks were bursting at the seams as my jeans do after one too many cupcakes, and I remember being a little more than apprehensive about getting into that boat! We started out the canoe ride much as we did our marriage, giddy with excitement and not really sure where this journey would take us.
As with marriage, once a couple gets in, there’s really no way of turning back. The couple just has to hang on for the ride!
The trip went well at first. It was easy as long as we worked as a team. Todd would paddle and my rowing would rhythmically fall into place. But, then there were choices to be made. My husband yelled, “Shelly, right or left?”
I couldn’t see what lay ahead of us. Both paths looked a little treacherous. It reminded me of all the choices we had made during our marriage: Where should we live? Which house should we buy? Should Todd take this job or that one? Finally, there was always the ultimate question neither of us was ever good at saying no to: Should we have another baby?
I never realized all of the similarities between marriage and canoeing until I made that little trek down the river with “the love of my life.”
The paddles reminded me of all the loved ones in our life who offered us advice along the way and tried to steer us away from bad decisions. They counseled and encouraged us to make the best choices in our marriage.
The life jackets reminded me of faith, family and friends who threw us a rope when we were sinking in over our heads! They lifted us up and carried us when the river became too deep and problems and daily life weighed us down. They help us see clearly when the water became a bit too murky.
Finally, the canoe is our home. It has taken both of us working together to keep it stable and from tipping over. Let’s face it, life gets rocky and there’s always turbulence. But as long as we are in it for the long haul and paddle like crazy, we won’t wind up the proverbial creek without any paddles!
So, I have learned over the years, it’s best not to rock the boat. Remember to always alert the other spouse when making a sudden movement or change. Otherwise, one could wind up wet, cold and miserable. Sorry, honey, and Happy Anniversary! I’m looking forward to another 25 with you~