Growing up, one of my absolute favorite sights in San Diego was the Coronado Bridge. I don’t know if it was because of its overwhelming size, or because of its cool color, it’s location, or whatever, but I loved that bridge. I STILL love that bridge, and I forgot all about that love until the other day when I was driving across it.

The craziest part about this specific day is that I almost didn’t go; my love for the Coronado Bridge would’ve remained an old and faint crush in the back of my mind.

I had just gotten back from Texas the day prior, and I was really, really sore from tubing on the lake out there. And like the super ~mature~ person I am, I was fully committed to taking a rest day for the sake of my screaming muscles, even though my FOMO would’ve been ALARMINGLY noticeable.

If you haven’t guessed by now though, I didn’t listen to the pain in my body, and I was convinced to join everyone down in SD. You can call it peer pressure if you want, I’m calling it peer encouragement. My FOMO won, and PSA for all of you FOMO unbelievers, it’s a real phobia, and it rules my life. It’s the exact reason why I went on my 8th grade DC trip with a 101° fever. I did NOT want to miss out, and I can proudly say that I didn’t. Did I get everyone else sick? Yes. But we don’t talk about that part.

for your entertainment: extremely sick 8th grade skylar passed out in a boston airport

BUT JULY 21ST 2020!

THIS DAY, THIS DAY, THIS DAY!

There are so many ways I can describe July 21st. I can say it was fun, because it was. I can say I was laughing most of the day, because I was for sure doing that. I can even say that it was a super intense, yet very unexpected workout, because it was that too.

But more than anything, more than fun or hilarious or strenuous, July 21st was like dropping your tensed up shoulders from your ears. July 21st was like voluntarily removing your tongue from the roof of your mouth. July 21st unclenched my jaw. July 21st helped me breathe fresher air. I felt light; like I could take a deep breath without it hitching in my throat.

I know, I know, how dramatic, right?

But you try it:

Drop your shoulders.

Let your tongue rest on the bottom of your mouth.

Unclench your jaw.

That tension that just left your body? The entire day was that tranquil feeling for me.

It began when I was reacquainted with the Coronado Bridge. You know, the bridge I was practically drooling over at the beginning of this post? THAT ONE. There are two bridges in this world that get me feeling feelings: Blackfriar’s Bridge and the Coronado Bridge. Seeing as I’m not in London right now with bridge choice #1, Coronado Bridge gets all of my love today.

That bridge was the entryway to BLISS. It’s like in Narnia when the kids go through the wardrobe and they get whisked away from England. THE CORONADO BRIDGE WAS MY WARDROBE!!

I promise I’m not going to keep talking about bridges for this entire post. I just need to get its significance across. Growing up, that bridge was magical. I used to live in Coronado and I remember thinking it was massive and beautiful and otherworldly. This is acceptable for a child at the age of 4. Except, I’m 18 and I still think it’s all of those things.

(We are now entering Act 2 and you can rest assure that I’m done using the Coronado Bridge as my muse).

Me, my brother, and Grant are in my car, and we’re CRUISIN’. It’s a nice 79° outside, the skies are clear, there’s that light coastal breeze goin’ on, and it’s a vibe.

We park by the docks, and we meet up with the rest of our group. We walk towards the water, hauling all of our stuff over our backs. Matthew’s got Spikeball, Hunter’s got food, Maika’s got the drinks, Tony’s got his fishing gear, and I’ve got my Chick-Fil-A wrap. Everything is as it should be.

Annie’s parents pull the boat up next to us, and one by one, we get in. This boat is NICE. It’s a double decker. It’s got a slide. The seats were surprisingly cushioned. All is well. Better than well; everyone is stoked.

We push off from the dock, and we’re out on the water. I hadn’t seen ocean water this blue in what felt like forever. And I know, “Skylar, you’re from California, of course you’ve seen blue ocean water lately. It’s summertime and you live on the coast.” Well my dearest, inner, cyberbully critic, while I am a storyteller and occasionally require dramatic flare for my pieces, I will have you know that I’ve been doing a whole heck of a lot of night swimming at the beach, not daytime swimming.

When we get to a part in the water where we’re far enough away from all the other boats, I notice a large, blue, circular thing in the aft. I don’t know how I hadn’t noticed it in the time leading up to this, but there it was. Sitting there. Staring at me. Egging me on. My muscles told me to stop. My bones told me to stay where I was. My mind rapid-fired logic at me. But it was too late. My spirit was too strong. The adrenaline junky in me I’ve tried so hard to tame, took over my weak, shell of a human, body, and I was GONE.

That tube and I were like magnets. It was like I was the moth and the tube was the flame I was being drawn to. There was no escaping it. The connection that tube and I had was other level; we were destined for each other.

So here I was, in the middle of the boat, standing silently for a moment while Annie’s dad is asking who wants to go first. Hunter takes spot #1. My brother takes spot #2.

“I’ll go!” The words come out of my mouth before I can even process what I’ve said.

Spot #3 was mine.

In an instant, I’m handed a life vest to wear. It’s over my head, it’s strapped onto my body. I’ve left my shorts and Sublime t-shirt in the dust and I’m jumping into the water and onto a tube. Trent’s on my left, Hunter’s on my right, and the ones left on the boat are slowly starting to give slack to the rope so that we’re beginning to drift off behind them.

You know that pit you get in your stomach when you’re on a roller coaster, and it’s going up and up and up to the top, and when you finally get there, it’s like time stands still for just a second, before it plummets you down? Waiting for the boat to pick up speed was like that. It was a gradual, steady incline of anticipation that was prominent in all of us.

When the the wind started ~expanding~ Hunter’s hair, that’s when I knew we were in for something really, really good. The three of us were cracking up, which I might add is only a LITTLE problematic when you’re trying to focus on not falling off.

Here’s the thing I’m trying to get at: I’ve been tubing before. Like I mentioned, I had gone two days prior to this, and it was JUST as fun. This was different though; it was one of the best days of my life. I was doing everything possible to remember the exact way the boat turned, and the profound way my brother was laughing so hard he couldn’t breathe, and that contagious smile Hunter had plastered on his face. Those details are branded into my brain.

I want to remember the way Grant saluted all of us when he got on the tube, and we got off. I want to remember the way Maika was laughing so hard it looked like she was crying. I want to remember the way Caleb dad-locked Matthew in next to him because he kept falling off. I want to remember the way Annie captained us like the absolute QUEEN she is.

i also want to forever remember uncle matthew

I have all of these memories now, AND I ALMOST DIDN’T EVEN GO.

How crazy, right?

Lately it’s just been hitting me that life is so weird. It’s a compilation of all of these things, that half the time you thought would never happen. That one time you said yes. That guy you never thought you’d be dating. The best friend who just isn’t really your best friend anymore. When you decided that you deserve better. The plane ticket you bought that changed your life. All of these random little wins and inconveniences end up crafting this storyline in our lives that mold us into a person with tendencies that can go in either direction, good or bad.

I don’t necessarily know how me deciding to suck up how my body felt and go boating with everyone shaped my character, but I don’t really doubt that it did in some way, shape, or form. If I hadn’t gone, where would I be right now? How would I feel in this very minute?

I definitely wouldn’t be writing this piece, so there’s that.

The moral of the story I’m trying to tell here, is to say yes more. Even when you want to say no. Even when your body hurts. Even if you’re not necessarily feeling up for it. If you’re on the verge of something really, really good, say yes. To clarify, I’m not talking about drugs here. I’m talking about memories and moments. The kinds of things you can’t recreate twice. Say YES, because the day we were living in wasn’t infinite, but the memory is.

So You Think You Can Tube

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