Navigating Life's Mudflats
patience and understanding
In my last post, Bristol Bay, 2025, my dad left a great comment:
Nice job. It’s great to be reminded that with a little patience and understanding, we can navigate the ‘mudflats’.
I was not surprised by his introspective thoughts; he’s always been able to pull a metaphor out of the mud. The surprising part was that it was a perfect metaphor for the moment I was living through. I responded to his comment with:
Those bastards pop up everywhere…
What da hell is a mudflat?
In Bristol Bay, a mudflat is a large area of earth that is exposed as the tide ebbs out and the layers of the ocean floor become visible. They’re difficult to navigate because they look like a mirage. The beginning and end are hard to spot, leaving the viewer feeling confused and full of self-doubt. Despite all this confusion—and the not-so-pretty name—these mudflats are beautiful. They are rich with history, full of character, and can powerfully alter your course.
In life, mudflats aren’t all that different.
We all encounter them. They express themselves as a business partner taking their money elsewhere, the death of a loved one, or the end of a love story. They’re an inevitable obstacle, something we have to live through. And usually, the best approach is to be patient, understand them, and learn to navigate them.
To clarify, I see mudflats as distinct from other obstacles or challenges we face in life. As an example, let’s consider a flat tire in a foreign country. In this situation, the end goal is apparent: get back on the road. The route to get there may be hidden, but we know where we’re going. A mudflat isn’t like that. Not only is there no clear route, but we don’t even know which direction we’re headed.
Additionally, mudflats seem to have the complicating element of involving another person; they seem to be based on relationships, where we can't control all the variables to improve the situation. For example, if I’m concerned that I’m getting fat, I’ll just work out until I look like Tyler Durden. This doesn’t feel like a mudflat because I have access to all the tools I need to solve my problem.
In my current muddy situation, two people’s hearts are in different places. One wants more than the other is willing to give, but the one who wants more cannot change the other's heart. And so, the one left wanting must wait before attempting to navigate the mudflat.
As I cruised through Bristol Bay, I knew I would come across one of them. I could see the water shimmering as the smell of low tide hung in the air. I was riding high across the water when it came into view. Upon arriving, I banked toward shore, then the opposite way, trying to find a route around. A slight lump formed in my throat as I realized I had encountered my first mudflat of the journey. Self-doubt took over as I began to wonder if I had gone the wrong way. I wanted to know the route around, but I was searching for something I had no way of knowing.
So I sat. I watched the tide move in and overtake the mud. The water seemed to know exactly where to go as it showed me the knowledge I desired. It began with a small wave crashing on the surface. The wave pushed and pushed until a channel became visible, and it was no longer a crashing wave but a slow-moving river. Right before my eyes, this river persevered until it connected to another behind it. Together, the rivers on this mudflat showed me the path forward, and I cranked up the motor to escape. As I shot out the other side, I felt the clarity of open water in front of me, and self-doubt was pushed away by newfound knowledge.
I had made the right choice by being patient and understanding.
As I cruised through life, my heart danced a jig. It was overflowing with joy because love was on the horizon. Or was it a mudflat? I couldn’t tell. The mirage made it hard to know where a love story began and a mudflat ended. As I came closer, I realized that it was a mudflat—but easily one of the prettiest damn mudflats I had ever seen.
At full throttle, I came to a jarring stop. All that I had subconsciously hoped for had been a mirage, nearly all of it created by my own mind. I had fooled myself and run aground on this oh-so-beautiful mudflat.
At first, I tried to push through by pouring everything I had into it—love, honesty, hope. I turned the boat around, went even faster, and ended up with the same result. After a few attempts (I’m hard-headed), I learned that this was not an issue of effort or passion. And this was not an issue that I had all the tools to fix, because, like many mudflats, this one involved another person.
My dad’s comment came back to me, and I exercised a little patience. I allowed a few tide cycles to go by and watched the water ebb and flow off the mudflat. Soon enough, I spotted a route through that I could trust and believe in. It involved more understanding than I had previously brought to the situation. Understanding for my own heart and understanding for this other heart. With neither of these hearts being in the same place, it became clear they weren’t meant to be together on this mudflat.
I picked up my heart, having lost the feeling of love and joy, and broke away.
As I escaped, the tears welled behind my eyes, and I recognized that, like many things in life, the hardest choices are the ones worth making. I did my best to leave that mudflat with a smile—because one day, maybe I’ll come across this mudflat again and I’ll remember the way around. Or maybe, the mudflat will join me for a boat ride.
It’s great to be reminded that with a little patience and understanding, we can navigate the ‘mudflats’.
Thanks for the comment, Dad, and thanks for the inspiration for this edition of Kudos.
I’d love to hear about the mudflats in your life, let me know in the comments or shoot me an email :)
p.s. A few years ago, YETI was lucky enough to have me as a model in their article 79 Million Stronger. Those photo shoots are where the uber high-quality drone pictures by Travis come from.
Love!
Terrific content Cliff…. Wish we were all as good a navigator as you❤️
Awesome piece!