Uphill idealist

"I am not good at everything I attempt to do." "I'm not an expert." "This feels clumsy." Statements like this, I think, that keep people - me specifically - from trying new things Better yet sticking with something that does not come naturally is actually harder. It may seem too extrovert for me to say this, but I actually love trying new things and going new places. But when it comes to working through things I'm not naturally good at - I struggle. My internal voice may say things like,   "Why aren't you getting this?" "Look over there - they are not having any problem with it." Sometimes the internal voice slips through my lips and becomes audible sound. In fact, this nasty voice spoke from my own lips when trying to coordinate my breathing, kicking and arm position while swimming the breast stroke. Before I could stop it these words popped out: "Why are you SO clumsy!!"   I was so shocked I st...

The family was all set to go for a swim. The bags filled with towels, sneakers and extra clothes for when they would be dry struggled to stay contained. The number of children in the gaggle was undecipherable as they all were in a state of constant movement. One kid was hanging on the pool door entrance, another was hiding under the check-in counter, and two or three more tots whirred like tiny planets in a wobbly rotation around their mother - who like the sun - was a the center of their aquatic adventure. The water was calling their name. They we so prepared that they'd worn their swimsuits in route to the pool. All they had to do to reach the oasis of the swimming pool was to drop their bags, toss off their t-shirts and flip flops and then... 1 2 3 CANNONBALL! This family reminds me of what enthusiasm looks like. Even though there are a million other things this family could have done this afternoon, they had decided and were committed to their goal. This mom wi...

I learned to swim at summer camp when I was a kid. Ben the strong lifeguard, affectionately nicknamed "Big Ben", was there to help me out when I got tired practicing to tread water and venturing out into the deep end of the pool. On one of my early attempts to head to the deep end, I panicked as I suddenly realized I could not longer reach the bottom of the pool. I thrashed and gasped and swallowed what I thought was the entire pools worth in a few moments. Ben swiftly swam to where I was floundering in the pool, wrapped a strong arm around my waist and towed me safely to the shallow end. What he said to me next had held fast in the memory banks of my brain. "The water can be your enemy or it can be your friend. If you respect and work with the water, it can carry and support you forever." After he said these words, he suggested I practice floating on the surface of the water. "Pretend there is a string attached to your chest, arch your back and relax into th...