You probably know by now that waterskiing is my love language. But yesterday’s time on the water did not go as I had envisioned. We were just going to go for a quick run on the course because dinner, a roast chicken, would need to go in the oven shortly.

Though the water was cold, the sun was peeking out and the lake level was perfect for the slalom course. I made it down the lake, did four passes, took a rest, fell once, and had just run my last pass when TJ accidentally ran over a green guide ball on the course and the boat sucked the ball right up. That was the end of that. TJ killed the engine and I tried, to no avail, to find the ball under the boat. TJ restarted the boat and inched forward, and soon, the ball came loose and went floating away from us. However, the rubber cord to which the ball had been attached under the water was tangled in the boat’s engine and there was no way for us to get it out until back on land.

Thankfully, TJ had his phone on the boat and was able to call Bauer to come tow us home with the jetski. In the meantime, we waited on the boat with Sailor, while I pushed myself to reset my expectations about making dinner on a certain timeline. I focused on accepting what was happening, which wasn’t what I wanted to happen. I wanted to finish skiing and be back making dinner where I belonged.

No, Ginger, not this time.

I reflected later on how it helps me to not get my way. I thought of how many times going out to ski has gone well, with no injuries, no stallouts. I realized I had come to expect things to go according to plan, on demand. I had gotten a little too secure in the setup, and yesterday’s situation humbled me and reminded me that I am less in control than I’d like to think. I was forced to stop, forced to wait. Those aren’t my comfortable places, but Sailor’s contentment with the situation made me realize that a No can be a Yes if you don’t have an agenda. That was my ski lesson yesterday.