Why Dragonfly?

Some of you have been curious as to why I chose the name Dragonfly Kayak Tours. Well, it started with a card my mom sent me a couple of years ago (2015 to be exact.. cards are about the only things I'm sentimental about) with a simple note on the inside that reads, "I saw this in St. Augustine and thought you might like it." When I ventured across the country to this new exotic land of the Pacific Northwest, I bought a bulletin board that became sort of a vision board. That card found its way to the board, and as I would lie in my bed and look at the vision board, the card my mom sent me really stood out. So I started doing research on the symbolism of the dragonfly and found some interesting facts. One site that really stood out to me was http://www.spiritanimal.info/dragonfly-spirit-animal/. Here it notes that the dragonfly is associated with transformation. And boy have I undergone some transformation in the last few years! One paragraph that really resonated me was this: "The dragonfly is characterized by amazing flight patterns as it appears to be able to change direction swiftly, gliding through the air with no apparent effort. Its lightness inspires those who have the dragonfly as totem to use their ability to be flexible and highly adaptable in any situation." I haven't always (ever, really) found transformation in my life effortless, but transformation is something that I have grown to appreciate over the years as a necessary and important part of growing as an individual. I'm not going to go too deeply into this, but for whatever reason, I connected with this statement so deeply and knew that's what I wanted to name this business.

Here's a little poem from the back of the card.

Voyages of the Heart by Philip Martz

In search of rest for weary wings, a dragonfly in full armor skims riverbanks for leaf or twig on which to doze fitfully through the night. Bypassing mossy escarpments resembling temporary shelter to lodge an inveterate wanderer, wild at heart.

Whose wanderlust for delicate-winged damselfly, propels exploration of uncharted tributaries, on voyages of the heart.

Until chancing upon a winged silhouette so perfectly divine at every turn, to be worthy of a solo diving exhibition to win favor;

If only to sit beside her at the water's edge, finding terra firma at Last beneath folded wings. Here he waits for her to affirm his unflagging courage, to reveal her restless, untamed heart. But she is so distracted by the beating of her own heart in its gilded cage hopelessly Loud and Repetitive, she does not notice his heart at her feet.

And so has begun my transformation, and so has begun my voyage of the heart. A voyage that I hope continues for many years to come.

(Photo of the card from my mom)