Well helloooo... So this week I finally took the plunge, literally. I am finally
facing my fears and learning to swim, I know I know I should know how to swim since I was a kid but alas, we cannot all be perfect and lets face it if we all led a life without fears it would be a very boring life indeed because facing up to fears is the best fun (in a weird masochistic way)!! So off I trotted to the pool kitted out in my nice new togs (all in one- this isn't a fashion parade people), very unflattering swimming cap (ok it isn't a fashion parade but rubber caps just are not forgiving) and goggles (which look uncannily like NHS glasses- they were the only pair I could afford), feeling very confident and determined and looking strangley like Roy Orbison I entered th
e zone (the pool area) and all it took to knock any bit of confidence out of me was the smell of Chlorine, flippin heck, suddenly I felt 5 again only this time wihout the security of the a
rm bands, rubber ring, my brother to hang on to (hey if I was going under, he was coming too) and the baby pool where I could safely retreat to should it all get too much for me (or should I need a sneaky pee- what!??! they were all doin it!) I hadn't even put a toe in the water and already I wanted to run away, but this had to be done, I've wanted to learn for so long I just had to bite the bullet, hold my breath and pray I didn't drown. So after much coaxing and reassurance that I would be able to stand, from my lovely instructor-Lisa- in I got, I should point out here that Lisa obviously hadn't realised how small I was (I'm actually of average height, she's just taller than most) and not wanting to disappoint the minute I got in the pool and make a complete show of myself I decided to trust her and keep reaching for the ground beneath me , so there was slight panic in her face when it looked like I was actually going to be submerged before I hit the bottom of the pool with my feet, "just stand on your tip-toes" she quickly ordered. "Phew" I thought. She quickly kitted me out with 2 hand held floaty board things and wrapped some sort of styrofoam tube around my waist and I did not ask questions, all I knew were these things were gonna keep me alive... and then... With more frantic kicking than a Jackie Chan movie and less direction than- well lets face it- a Jackie Chan movie
- I was off! Crashing into walls, crossing into lanes and splashing everyone else like it was going out of fashion, but I did not care, because I was swimming and I had the time of my life. By the end of the lesson (most beginners do 30 mins I did the full 45- "don't act like you're not impressed") I had ditched the styrofoam tube thing and only needed the aid of 1 floaty board (techinical terms). And after much praise from my instructor ("one of the strong
est beginners"were the exact words), I was done with my very first swimming lesson and off I limped (who knew it was so tiring on your legs), dreams of olympic gold and diving boards (like in the pension ad-scares the bejeezus out of me) swirling around in my head... Bring it on... I think!!!
facing my fears and learning to swim, I know I know I should know how to swim since I was a kid but alas, we cannot all be perfect and lets face it if we all led a life without fears it would be a very boring life indeed because facing up to fears is the best fun (in a weird masochistic way)!! So off I trotted to the pool kitted out in my nice new togs (all in one- this isn't a fashion parade people), very unflattering swimming cap (ok it isn't a fashion parade but rubber caps just are not forgiving) and goggles (which look uncannily like NHS glasses- they were the only pair I could afford), feeling very confident and determined and looking strangley like Roy Orbison I entered th
e zone (the pool area) and all it took to knock any bit of confidence out of me was the smell of Chlorine, flippin heck, suddenly I felt 5 again only this time wihout the security of the a
rm bands, rubber ring, my brother to hang on to (hey if I was going under, he was coming too) and the baby pool where I could safely retreat to should it all get too much for me (or should I need a sneaky pee- what!??! they were all doin it!) I hadn't even put a toe in the water and already I wanted to run away, but this had to be done, I've wanted to learn for so long I just had to bite the bullet, hold my breath and pray I didn't drown. So after much coaxing and reassurance that I would be able to stand, from my lovely instructor-Lisa- in I got, I should point out here that Lisa obviously hadn't realised how small I was (I'm actually of average height, she's just taller than most) and not wanting to disappoint the minute I got in the pool and make a complete show of myself I decided to trust her and keep reaching for the ground beneath me , so there was slight panic in her face when it looked like I was actually going to be submerged before I hit the bottom of the pool with my feet, "just stand on your tip-toes" she quickly ordered. "Phew" I thought. She quickly kitted me out with 2 hand held floaty board things and wrapped some sort of styrofoam tube around my waist and I did not ask questions, all I knew were these things were gonna keep me alive... and then... With more frantic kicking than a Jackie Chan movie and less direction than- well lets face it- a Jackie Chan movie
- I was off! Crashing into walls, crossing into lanes and splashing everyone else like it was going out of fashion, but I did not care, because I was swimming and I had the time of my life. By the end of the lesson (most beginners do 30 mins I did the full 45- "don't act like you're not impressed") I had ditched the styrofoam tube thing and only needed the aid of 1 floaty board (techinical terms). And after much praise from my instructor ("one of the strong
est beginners"were the exact words), I was done with my very first swimming lesson and off I limped (who knew it was so tiring on your legs), dreams of olympic gold and diving boards (like in the pension ad-scares the bejeezus out of me) swirling around in my head... Bring it on... I think!!!
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