Adventures On the Road

I grew up on an island, 10 minutes from the beach, and never officially learned how to swim.  And although I have since gone snorkeling (with a life vest), gone scuba diving (and landed on the bottom of the ocean), and fallen off of a sailboat (while still in the marina), I have never really found myself very comfortable in the water.  I wish I did.  But my preference is to keep myself in water that I can touch the ground in and never open my eyes underwater.

And so, I do my very best not to extend my water discomfort to my two girls who are just discovering what water is all about.

Today I pushed down my own fears as I watched in awe as they body surfed in the oncoming waves in the shallows of our beach cove and shrieked with glee when the waves splashed them in the face, spun them around in a circle and did not care one bit that they were my babies who have practically no beach/water experience.  They pushed me way beyond my comfort zone, and I had to fight back the urge to rush to their rescue and save them from the waves, while also being uncomfortable with how the waves were pushing and pulling me.

Luckily, Nathan is comfortable in the water, and just kept telling them to keep their heads up, always watch the oncoming waves, that when one wave goes out, another one is coming in, and to spit out the water.

All in all, today I found myself unbelievable impressed and inspired by my girls.