My subconscious has been talking to my conscious mind a lot more lately about the rising cost of getting from point A to point B in this crazy world, the skyrocketing price of obtaining the sustenance I require each day for every person I am legally responsible for, the steady increases in energy, heat and all the costs I have come to rely on as absolute in my little “Garden of Eden” away from all the stress and pressures involved with earning a descent living in modern society.
My conscious mind for its part would rather talk about the arrival of summer, the beauty and majesty of the universe, the unlikelihood of the Pittsburgh Penguins coming back to win three straight games to capture Lord Stanley’s cup. The shrinking value of what revenues I manage to earn as compared to the requirements of what has come to be normal in my life, and believe me it is a Spartan enough existence for Canada, is the last thing my conscious mind wants to greet every morning. Just waiting for me and beating the same tired drumbeat, my subconscious gnaws on the stark facts of life in Canada and the world, and I’m sure the same drumbeat reverberates in a large percentage of the minds I think about every day.
My subconscious talks about how the coming changes to Canadian life will include less time spent on the road, at least in the gas powered transportation we have been using, and in the ingrained recreational attitudes of Canadians towards recreational choices we have normally been taking part in every summer at the lake. About how it expects to see less large gas powered boats on lakes and rivers in some areas of the country and the use of four stroke engines in a lot more boats this year, which is a good thing for Mother Earth, and that it expects to see an unprecedented rise in new and inventive ways of using the natural forces that exist around us to provide the energy to transport us from A to B. That at the very least we can expect to see a decrease in the amount of trips undertaken on a daily basis and a better plan of action underwritten by many Canadians in their daily activities in order to conserve and cut back on costs in all areas of life at the cottage.
It reminds me that Transport Canada estimates the average Canadian boater will use on average about the same amount of gas over the summer that it takes for them to fill their SUV three times, not a lot in comparison it notes, so it probably won’t decrease the amount of time the average Canadian cottage owner spends driving around the lake in their boat.
That there are a few basic ways you can save fuel at the lake if you’re planning on spending a lot more time on the water this summer. First; move around at a steady pace, revving the engine requires more; second, always turn off your engine when your docked or just sitting for awhile; third, make sure the engine and propeller are working efficiently and the boat is outfitted with the proper propeller and engine.
That all lake residents have a choice, they can always choose to do different activities then the gas guzzling ones they normally do if they’re feeling the gas-price-crunch. Take a walk along the lake side with Mother Nature for a few minutes, kayak along one of her beautiful and shrinking coast lines, canoe along a lonely stretch of one of her wondrous and life giving rivers, or give up your motorized boat for a more traditional and Earth friendly sailboat for awhile and convene with Mother Nature, she is always there waiting for you, like your subconscious, only she is wiser and longer lived then your subconscious can fathom. She awaits your arrival, like a long lost child she has been thinking and hoping to see you and will welcome you home. Tell her your subconscious sent you.
