My life is filled with so much irony as of late, that my middle initial might just as well be "I" for ironic instead of "A" for Ann. Perhaps one of the most ironic things of all is my desire to fulfill Item #3 on the "Miller Bucket List"~to return to swimming lessons at the YMCA~.
Those of you who have been reading this blog since its inception back in the early summer, will remember my quest to learn how to swim. For those who didn't, here's a "recap" of the highlights of that point in life.
Think back friends, like really back in time to the summer of 1965. It was in the little town of Haven, Ks and at the pool that day were all of the kids eager and excited to take swimming lessons for the first time. Well, ALMOST all that is. A little 10-year old girl (that'd be me) had a horrible experience on the first day of lessons and was sure she was drowning. Petrified of the water after that day, she spent the next 7 days clinging to the side of the pool, refusing to take part. You know, I kind of feel bad now for my swim teachers, the poor Fisher sisters, Julie and Jennie. I have to give them an A plus for putting up with me.
At the end of that 8 day period when everyone else got their beautiful Red Cross swimming card saying "passed", that little girl got none. And she went home and told her mother she was never going to get in the water again and she most certainly meant it!
Well, 45 years passed and I kept my vow of never returning to the water. Oh there were a couple of times that I let my feet dangle off the side of a pool but I never got in again. And hey, I never had any intention of doing it either, no matter what. That was until this summer came along and the insistence of a very dear friend.
One day that friend and I were visiting and I told him of my "bucket list" and when he learned that one of the 10 items on the list was to get my first tattoo, he had a word or two of advice for me. "Peggy, scratch getting that tattoo and learn how to swim well enough to save your own life some day", he told me. Because I value this friend's ideas, I decided to do just that. By mid-June, I was ready for my first lesson at the YMCA.
I was scared to death at that first lesson and even though I had the best teacher ever, it didn't matter. That pool might as well have been the Gulf of Mexico as far as I was concerned! It took Laurie (my wonderful teacher) the better part of the first hour just to get me comfortable enough to walk into the 3 1/2 foot water. I know, pathetic right? But she did and she just kept encouraging me all through out the remaining 3 lessons and by the time the last lesson was over, I was learning in the 4 1/2 foot water.
My little great-niece, Meggie Dwyer, sent me encouragement and swimming tips all the way from her home in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida. "Just relax", she said over and over and reminded me to keep my chin up, literally! I practiced blowing bubbles in a dish pan of water for days in order to finally be able to put my face and nose into the pool. Gradually I got used to it and seldom did I ever have a death grip on the side of the pool. Only once did I ever get that feeling of "man, I think I'm drowning!" Laurie recognized what had happened right away and offered for me to stop for awhile. I said, "No, let's keep going." And you know what, I did!
By the time that 4th and final session was over, I was able to face float and back float with a kick, put my face into the water without panicking as well as use a kick board to float across the water with. All in all, not too bad for the "water phobic" that entered the water for the first time nearly half a century later on June 24, 2011. And guess what, I didn't drown, not even close!
I knew I wanted to take more lessons and had plans to do so once school got settled down in September but unfortunately just 2 weeks after that 4th and final lesson, the accident happened. I'm pretty flexible and can adapt to change with little fanfare, but there's no way on this earth that I could swim with a cast on. So for the past 3 months all I could do was think about it and dream.
Dr. Chan gave me the "green light" to return to the pool for more lessons as long as I didn't dive off the diving board...Oh yeah, fat chance Dr. Chan, that would ever happen....still laughing about that one. But I did promise him that I would be careful, and that I shall indeed be.
Because I'm going to be having the final surgery in late December, I will be setting up the next four lessons for the Saturdays falling after Thanksgiving. I gotta say, this is the craziest part of it...the part where the irony comes in. For as scared out of my mind that I was prior to starting the first four lessons, I am now anxiously awaiting the opportunity to get back in that water and try to remember all that I learned before. My ultimate goal is to go from polliwog status to guppy status before I quit. And I think I'm going to make it, just fine.
I'll keep you posted as to how my lessons go. If you already know how to swim, you have my utmost respect. That is a place in life that I had given up going to before. If you don't know, then you have to ask yourself, "Why don't I? What in the heck is stopping me?" Chances are good that you will find that the only thing stopping you from doing it is you, yourself. And the longer you procrastinate on learning how to swim, or anything new for that matter, the less time is available to you in this life. Don't throw away the chance to learn something new like I did~life is way too short to waste it on being afraid...and if you don't believe it, just ask me! Good night friends and good dreams to all!
My teacher, Laurie Carr and I after the last swimming lesson. Man was I ever happy!
Actually did get the tattoo on my birthday~but not until I finished the first four lessons, just in case you are wondering.
Keeping my promise and heading back for the next set of 4 lessons in the next two weeks. So glad that I listened to a friend's advice. Didn't dream I'd ever say "I can't wait to get back into the water!"
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