This time, That Little Voice takes COTP to (and into) the water

Stonington And now for another installment from Columnist of the People (COTP), a pathetic, Dear Abby Knockoff for casual sports fans.

Today's topic: Continued effort in overcoming That Little Voice Inside Our Heads.

OK. If you've been paying attention to COTP (and who hasn't, really) you know that he's spent recent months overcoming That Little Voice, the one we all have, the one that tells us we can't, the one that reinforces our fears.

COTP took his swing at sledding in the winter, overcoming an aversion to being cold, wet and potentially slamming into a parked car or a building. There was road racing in the spring. COTP never thought it was possible ... and now he's a veteran of two 5K races.

And now in the late summer ... wait for it ... paddle boarding.

Yes. Paddle boarding. It was not easy. COTP got dunked more times than an Oreo.

OK. So the day began at New England Science and Sailing (NESS) in Stonington. Instructor Lauren O'Donnell, otherwise known as "Noodle," met COTP and COTP's friend who shall be referred to here as "GoPro" because the friend was filming the session with a GoPro.

The three of us set out on the not so calm waters.

The sea was angry that day, my friends. Too much wind inspired a small craft advisory for, presumably, small crafts. All of which made paddle boarding more difficult. Just

as we drew it up.

Noodle, who comes by her nickname because she's also a Yoga instructor with more flexibility than a Slinky, is a model of patience and a geyser of information. After a short introduction to paddle boarding, it was time for, as Little River Band once sang, the cool and bright clear waters.

Full disclosure: Our president's social skills are more balanced than COTP was on this board. COTP began on his knees.

"Why is this board shaking?" COTP asked Noodle.

"It's not the board," Noodle said gently. "It's you." Yep. It was here COTP remembered a good craftsman never blames the tools.

Eventually, however, COTP was paddling quite deftly from his knees. GoPro was filming. COTP knew, however, that soon it would be time to stand and paddle. The Little Voice began screaming. You're going to fall. You'll blow out a knee. Gulp salt water. Perhaps have a heart attack. Drown. You know. All the idiocy we usually hear from our Little Voices.

Initial attempts to stand were unsuccessful. COTP kept taking the Nestea Plunge at alarming rates. Noodle stayed patient. Suddenly, a voice came from the wilderness. (Or actually right there from the water).

"Can I take a crack at teaching him?" GoPro asked. GoPro tends to be blunt. "Just stand up," GoPro said. "I'm trying," COTP replied. "No you're not," GoPro said indignantly.

COTP tried to stand again, wobbling and jiggling like a drunk looking for a lamp post. He fell. Splash. GoPro tried to hold back a giggle and failed.

Next problem: COTP trying to haul himself back up on the board from the water. GoPro even began to splash COTP in the face.

"Why can't I get back up on this board?" COTP said. "Because you're fat," GoPro said. Well ... there's that. GoPro then mounted another offensive, insulting COTP's manhood and the New York Football Giants, among other things. GoPro used all of George Carlin's seven words you can't say on television and threw in a few others for extra credit. Noodle giggled at the repartee. Finally, though, GoPro said this: "Look. You inspire people. People read you and they get inspired by this stuff. You're not being very inspiring right now." Whoa. Shot fired. And with that ... COTP summoned the chutzpah to — finally — stand up on the board and begin paddling. Done. Yo, Little Voice: keep it moving. You lose. Quite a feeling of satisfaction. Not that COTP didn't fall in a few more times. But it began to matter less. And soon, all was right with the world when the whole gang relaxed with a few, you know, lemonades at nearby Breakwater. So what's the moral here? We all have our metaphorical paddle boards. We're all going to fall. But are we going to let the Little Voice win? Or get back up? Remember the line from Billy Joel: "We learn more from our accidents than anything we'll ever learn in school." So keep getting up. And thanks to Noodle and the good folks at NESS, whose work is both noteworthy and worthwhile for anybody with an affinity for the confluence of water's serenity and teaching ability.

Thanks, too, to GoPro. We all need a little tough love now and then. This is the opinion of COTP, otherwise known as Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro