Swimming

     As we all know, swimming is a requirement to get the First Class in Boy Scouts, so we practiced our swimming skills one week. However, it was still winter at the time, so we went to this big house up in the Woodland Hills. They had an indoor swimming pool and a lot of room to spare!  Anyway, I did not know how to swim yet. It's difficult learning, at least, for me. My scout leader really didn't get through to me, but my dad was there to help. A good way to teach a child to swim (in the kiddie pool, of course) is to have them start going across the water with their chin underwater, then their mouth underwater, then their eyes underwater, then their entire head underwater. Go through one of the steps if the child isn't ready to go on to the next. Pretty soon, I was jumping in the pool in a cannonball formation, propelling downward into the water, and letting the liquid carry me back up.
     My dad had me put my face underwater, put my hands on the bench, and let the rest of my body float. I was given goggles since the water was bugging my eyes. It was cool being able to see underwater, but soon the goggles started to leak. Believe me, that can really catch you by surprise. I went back to being blind when my face was in the pool.
     Although I have been ready for that stuff (in a way), I was not ready to do this: Put my face in the water, arms straight out by the sides of my head, feet on the bench, and launch myself to the other side. I was too afraid. So, I just argued with my dad while everyone else played basketball in the biggest portion of the pool.
     After we got out and I had changed with my bare feet against a floor that now felt so cold I thought they would turn to ice, we got treats from the caretaker of the house. After we took the hour long drive home and I was sitting on the couch, I remembered that I left my jacket at the house! That was not a pleasant realization. My dad had to go back one Saturday and get my jacket.
     So, I still might not know quite how to swim, but practicing in shallow waters helps--it takes away the fear of drowning. The next time we go to a pool, I may have the confidence to complete that technique.