Every once and a while, a person should do something that makes them uncomfortable. For me, swimming falls into that category and today was my day to step out of my comfort zone.
As a kid, I loved the pool, couldn’t wait to get in the water. I took swimming lessons, I jumped off the high board and swam laps. I thought the glorious summer pool days would never end. But as I dove head first into my teenage years, the carefree pool days did come to an end. My thoughts turned to swimsuit styles, tanning, “perfect” hair and boys. As I got older, I quit going to the pool.
So, it was with this in mind that I found myself in the car on the way to the YMCA for my 1st swim lesson in maybe 50 years!? I timed my departure to leave early enough for a stop at the local tri shop and but with not enough time to dwell on my racing heart and shaky hands. I had purchased a bathing suit on Zappos at the last minute. It was a little large but I didn’t have time to swap it, as I said, it was very last minute. Goggles and swim cap, well l had forgotten about those until this morning.
Towel, really old flip flops, goggles (without stickers on the lenses of course) and swim cap….that’s all I need, right? Yep, I got this swim thing. Now all I have to worry about is walking around in a bathing suit and being taught by a thin, athletic 20 year old who is wondering how she got stuck with an old lady student.
As it turned out, that athletic 20 year old had a pretty average body and she was just as nervous about teaching me as I was about her. I was her first adult lesson. The shared discomfort resulted in a bond and after assuring her that I would not drown in the deep (10’) end, we got in the water. She had me suit up with a floatation waist band, obviously not 100% that I could keep myself afloat.
Equipped with a kickboard, float band and goggles that took some getting use to, I started across the pool. “Legs straight, use your thighs, make some whitewater.” First we went halfway across the 25 foot pool, then all the way. Then we got rid of the float band, then the kick board. Swimming takes a lot of stamina!!
By the end of the half hour, I was swimming back and forth, breathing every other stroke for most of the lap (the last few feet had me breathing every stroke, it’s that stamina thing). Instructor Caroline was encouraging and generally trying to boost my ego. I was just happy to be in the water. I wasn’t the thinnest person in the water nor was I the oldest but somewhere along the line I lost my self consciousness.
As the lesson wrapped up and I had my swim assignment for next week, I went to the bleachers to sit for a few minutes to “air dry” before driving home (I don’t have this locker room thing worked out yet). I spoke to a young mom sitting behind me. She asked a few questions about my lesson. We talked for a few minutes and she thanked me. Said she wanted to take lessons so she could talk swimming with her daughter who is on the Y’s swim team. She said she felt good about the idea after discussing our similar discomforts about the water. Hope I made a difference for her, getting in the water has definitely made a difference for me!
