I'm in the water, at first seeming to be kayaking with a guy Dwight that I knew in junior high school. I am useless because I have no paddle, and we seem to be going in circles, but then I come to a barrel or something with a paddle sticking out of it, and I grab it and think my problems are solved.

But they aren't. It's actually a snow shovel, and rather difficult to use as a paddle. I'm still having a lot of trouble paddling, and then I'm swimming, with a rope tied around my neck, and Dwight with the rope around his neck on the other end, pulling me along. He's a lot stronger swimmer than I am, and it makes it hard to swim with him pulling on my neck.

We stop, and get out for a minute to rest on some buoys. I start complaining to Dwight about pulling on my neck, and he complains that it's my fault for swimming so slow.

"Hey," I say, "you're ten years younger than me, and you're fitter and more athletic, and... (etc), and I'm swimming as fast as I can. I swim every day, I bike to work, and I run whenever I can -"

"Well, I can help you with that" he interrupts, sort of derisively, as though he could show up to my house (which seems to be my grandmother's house) and make me run more often.

(notes: Dwight was actually a year older than I. This reminds me of climbs I've done lately with younger and fitter teammates, and having trouble keeping up with them. I've thought very similar speeches in my head to justify myself.)