The Novice, Avoiding The Hat, and The Payoff - Published!

Anyone who has been a guide or has even tried to teach a beginner has been there. It is one thing to be able to perform a task and even be quite proficient at it. It is something else entirely to be able to explain the task well enough such that any complete novice can replicate the activity. Don’t believe me? Have a teenager start doing your laundry and watch how fast your main color palette becomes faded pink.

And of course, if you have been at this for very long, there is a good chance you have been a recipient of “The Hat”. Or perhaps delivered it. But, if you are guiding…well, it’s more likely you slowly brushed your hair back, slid your hat back in place and cried just a little.

“The Novice, Avoiding The Hat, and The Payoff” is a story of early morning swims, terminology debates, and persistence on a mountain stream. With the right determination, a steady teacher, and a little prayer, it will all turn out in the end, won’t it?  You never know.  The gods are fickle. You can find a link to Southern Culture on the Fly on my “Writing” page. You can read the entire article on page 61.

– C. H. Daniels