This post starts at the pond behind an unused building in the industrial park.
I used to go to the pond during my lunch hour to watch the fish, turtles, chipmunks, woodchucks and any other wildlife that showed up. It was very nice and relaxing and actually helped me be more productive at work for the afternoon.
One day I decided it would be even better if I had a boat.
I told everyone I was going to procure a kayak for $50 and put it in my pond. I understood that by leaving the kayak at the pond it might be stolen or damaged, so I didn't want to use the kayak I have. Nobody believed I could get a kayak for $50. And then, in yoga class, as I told someone else I was going to get a kayak for $50, a man said, 'I'll give you a kayak for $50.' And he did. It was an old Old Town kayak, long, with a small cockpit.
I took it camping for a practice run and promptly decided I didn't want to use it in my pond. It was too hard to get in and out of it , it was tippy and I was likely to get wet when using it.
So I bought a little dinghy off of craigslist for $75. It had been repaired many times, but the work was good. It was very stable.
I put it in the pond and spent my lunch hour paddling happily and picking up litter for about a month.
One day someone from the building in front of the empty building asked me what I was doing and I told him the truth - paddling and picking up trash. The next day there was a letter on my dinghy telling me to get it out of the pond and not to come back. So I took my dinghy home and put it in the back yard.
Now I had two little boats and didn't want either one of them.
A buddy at work mentioned he wanted a kayak. I gave him the kayak and another guy gave him a paddle. He was really happy.
I had no idea what to do with the dinghy because it was really too heavy for me to move by myself. For no particular reason, I asked a buddy in the neighborhood if he would like a dinghy. He actually needed one because his was smashed. We put the dinghy in his pickup truck and then in his garage. Next to the smashed dinghy. He was really happy.
And so, the great boat trade ended with two happy guys, a pond with no litter and me pondering how to amuse myself at lunch. Again.