When I was 5 my parents put me in swimming lessons held at the local high school in an olympic sized pool. As I waited my turn to doggy paddle from one side of the gargantuan sized pool to the other, I quickly assessed the situation for the most undetectable escape. Within moments I noticed a gutter that ran around the entire perimeter of the pool just under the outside edge. I could hear the lapping and slapping of the water hitting the side and then a ~gush~ as it fell like a waterfall into the metal gutter. Quietly, I slipped my tiny body into the gutter. Once safely inside I swiftly crawled on my hands and knees all the way around the pool to the deep end where I thought nobody would notice me and I attempted to climb out. At that moment I realized where I was and I began to shriek until my mom came and got me and dumped me back in line. I do not remember any other lessons after that. I guess my mom assumed that doggy paddling would probably be the only style of swimming I could handle.
She was right.
Often we would attend pool parties at friends houses and I would stay safely on the side my legs barely skimming the water's surface. This was safety, nothing could possible go wrong in this scenario. Although I was quite comfortable with these circumstances, my mom decided that it was time I faced my fear and she picked me up and chucked me into the pool. Everything went black after that. I am pretty sure I did not drown but the utter panic I felt might have killed me if it had not turned quickly to humiliation as I realized I was shrieking and dog paddling for my life, all the shallow end.
5 comments:
Sis... she kept you in lessons... and she used to bring a wooden spoon to threaten you with if you tried to escape.
HAHA! That sounds about right :p
Your pictures inspire me to choose better ones for mine!
Keep writing... Please.
Also reminds me of how my cousin would try to teach us "survival" skills by pretending to drown us in the pool.
He's a drill sergeant now, I couldn't be happier for him.
Choosing the picture is my favorite part! I do that first because they really put me in the headspace. I love the pictures you have chosen, you are the one who gave me the idea!
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