My dad called me earlier this summer and sent me on a mission. He was out of town and afraid Costco would sell out of a large raft he’d seen and he thought we needed it for our upcoming lake vacation.
Operation vacation floatation accepted.
And then I stood frozen in the aisle at Costco. I stared at the box that contained the said raft and dialed Dad’s number. Actually, I shouldn’t use the word raft. The thing comfortably seats seven adults and boasts six cup holders. It may be visible from space.
“You know this thing is ginormous, right?” I said into my phone with raised eyebrows as I tried to figure out how to lift the box into my shopping cart.
“Yes, it will be fun. Just grab it. I’ll pay you back.”
Never mind the story of how I got it into my van with only my six-year-old’s assistance, and how we blew it up and got it into the water and anchored at the lake.
Bottom line: we’ve got our own island now. Zip code not included.
But here’s the problem. There’s no good way to get on this thing. No ladder. No handles. No flight attendant holding out her hand for assistance.
My process to board the island resembles a walrus rolling onto shore, only not nearly as graceful.
One time my son, who was already on the island, offered his assistance. He pulled me up and our momentum continued until I knocked us both over and landed on top of him.
“Are you okay?” I asked once I found which way was up.
“Yeah, you didn’t hurt me, you just held my head under water for awhile.”
Oh, that’s all. Glad it wasn’t more serious.
The kids are the most successful at boarding the island, but teenagers and grandmas alike have had some serious island arrival issues. We’ve laughed at each other and cheered our successes. Sometimes we tell others to look away so as to save some embarrassment. Other times we own the hilarity.
And as in life on dry land, it helps to know we’re not alone in the struggle.
Sometimes we help each other by offering a hand. Other times we make life better by laughing together at our failures and encouraging each other to try again. Sometimes we take each other down in our desire to be a team, and sometimes we lift each other up in triumph.
But we’re in this life full of struggle together. It’s a lot better that way.
No man is a floating island.
This post is part of the Five Minute Friday community where bloggers are invited to write for about five minutes about a topic after being given a one-word prompt.
This week’s word: HELP
Christy Cabe 
I’m seriously laughing out loud!!! I saw this thing and wanted it for my pool but jeff informed me it would take up the whole pool!!! Lol Enjoy!!
Stopping by from FMF. That thing looks AWESOME! And I can totally see how the mount and dismount could be problematic! I’m guessing your family will be talking about “island memories” for years to come!
Cracking up reading this!! I have had similar problems boarding a boat in deep water with a malfunctioning ladder…so much that I offered to swim to shore…a 1/2 mile away!! It was so funny! I also love the way you link this to COMMUNITY … a community who helps each other…no matter the circumstances! ♡
This is fantastic! haha. I used to have an above ground pool at my parents house and one of our family friends brought something similar to this over for a pool party (ours had an inflatable palm tree as part of it — it was huge!). Needless to say it took up the ENTIRE pool, still made for an excellent summer afternoon. Your take on help was a great read 🙂