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Floating
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Floating  Do you ever think back to parts of your childhood and remember things that once made you feel accomplished? One of those things for me was learning to float on water. As a , I was enchanted by water. I still am, water is the most soothing thing on earth to me. I'm drawn to bodies of water, the ocean fills me with childlike joy. I once waded knee deep in the North Atlantic in early May. That water was so cold, but I couldn't resist that urge any more than I could resist breathing. My companions thought I was insane, but I was giggling like a . It was the first time I had seen the ocean in over fifteen years. I was born landlocked, surrounded by mountains, but as soon as I was able to travel independently I went to the ocean. It has always felt like 'home' to me, oddly enough. I taught myself how to swim in a spring fed creek when I was around eight years old. I started with the doggy paddle and by the end of summer I was able to swim the breaststroke and the overhand. But I could not master the backstroke. My urge to fight against the water when I was on my back was too strong and I would sink like a sack of rocks and come up sputtering and fighting for air. Fear held sway, and for several years I just quit trying to do a backstroke. I learned the summer I turned twelve. In the summer local boys would hire out during hay season and there were two boys that worked with my dad and me to put up hay every year. Both were family friends and both were fun to hang out with. At the end of the day, if there was time enough, we would all head straight to the creek to swim. That cold water felt like icy daggers, but so refreshing after a day spent in dust and heat. The boys were a tad bit older than me, so they were inclined to pick on me a lot. The older of the two pushed me backwards into the creek one day, and then he freaked out when I started fighting against the water. He thought for sure he'd just killed me. After we all had calmed down, he asked me if I had hit my head or something. I had to explain to him about my fear of the water and my inability to float. At first they laughed at me and poked fun because I couldn't do such a simple thing after all the time I had spent splashing in that creek. But then they decided to teach me. First they had me taking deep breaths and jumping under the water and then relaxing and letting the water and the current lift me. After I got the hang of that, they held me under the arms and I would lay back and let my legs be lifted by the water. It took them about an hour and then Eureka! I could float on my back. I was so proud of myself! It filled me with so much confidence. I felt like I had opened the gates of infinity, I could accomplish anything. (At least I thought I could until they talked me into trying to ride a steer calf bare backed. I learned a lesson in limitations that day lol.) I have thought about that day many times over my life, how good it felt to finally learn to do something I had given up trying to learn, to conquer unnecessary fear in my life. It was a lesson that has carried through my life. Quitting is easy, but letting go of fear and pushing forward is much more rewarding. Peace and Love ✌🏼️ "Shall I tell you the secret of the true scholar? It is this: every man I meet is my master in some point, and in that I learn of him." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson   |
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what nice young boys. You cannot conceive the many without the one.
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As they say, fat floats, so ever the skinny fucker, leaning to float was a real challenge for me.  My first roommate in college was from New Mexico and had never seen the ocean till the day we made the 5 mile drive to the beach. Hurricane Stress Walter Becker Three Ts, on HNW [post 3312759] My Private Blog - Tell Me ALL Your Secrets
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