The Juliette, a 1960s Grumman aluminum canoe.

We like to joke we acquired an armada of boats this summer – the kind powered by paddling.

My husband Lynn can claim the sea kayaks and fancy, feather-weight canoes. My favorite is a hulking, 1960s Grumman canoe purchased from a friend who was downsizing. As a little girl, my friend and her brothers learned to paddle in this boat, but for me it would offer a different kind of lesson.

A 17-foot-long aluminum craft, the Grumman reminds me of the canoes I paddled in both my childhood and adult years in Girl Scouts – first as an 11-year-old floating down Florida’s Withlacoochee River and later as a leader teaching Brownies to navigate our favorite scout camp lake. I couldn’t help but name her “The Juliette” after Girl Scout founder Juliette Gordon Low.

The Juliette has a wide frame and maintains a graceful balance as she glides across the lake at our camp. It’s easy to straighten her bow and point her in the right direction, avoiding obstacles where she could easily get hung up. The water’s rhythmic slapping against Juliette’s hull produces a soothing sound, one that generated my ah ha moment.

The Juliette’s maiden voyage in Washington County, Alabama.

My youngest daughter and I took The Juliette on its maiden voyage this summer. We spent the night at the camp on our way home from a long day of packing up her college apartment, readying her to study abroad this fall.

On the lake, fresh from the moving frenzy, and unplugged from Wi-Fi, LTE, and the power grid in general, I quickly saw The Juliette as a metaphor for creating balance in my own life. Caught up in the rush and competition of daily work, piloting the logistics of family life, and frustrated from listening to the angry rancor of opposing political views that seem omnipresent, I had forgotten how to relax and have fun. Even returning to my yoga practice, whether grounded or aerial, I couldn’t seem to shake the feeling my life was far out of balance, sprinting from one task to another, sun up to sun down, only to repeat the cycle the next day.

At some point between a week-long business trip and the drudgery of laundry, I announced to my husband I needed a weekend at the camp. Ironically, it was three weeks before we could fit it into the schedule. Tempted to invite friends, we resisted, not because we didn’t want to share, but because this weekend was about sleeping in, paddling The Juliette on the lake, fishing, listening to birds, reading, walking through the woods, writing, and hitting the reset button. Full disclosure – Lynn cranked the generator, plugged in a television, and watched a little Alabama football too.

Alabama vs Tennessee – camping style.

We’re both driven individuals, and it’s difficult to flip the switch from work to play. We’ve learned escaping to the woods is often the most mindful way to change directions. Thanks, Juliette, for the memories and the metaphor.

A peaceful paddle on the lake. My reminder to slow down.