My Dad will tell you that he still has scars on his back from my childhood swimming lessons. As far back as I can remember, I have feared water. Getting tossed around as a toddler by the scary “bumps” (my childhood word for waves) probably didn’t help. I don’t even like it when Ruby is in the bath tub.
I have become my Mother in the pool. Swimming with my head out of water, trying to protect my not-natural-but-wishes-it-was blond investment. Hair is just one obstacle. Contact lenses are the other. Being blind without them and unable to open my eyes underwater with them, makes swimming rather mundane. I end up standing around a lot hoping none of the little rapscallions splash me. Yet my biggest problem with water is the temperature. I love hot tubs or overheated pools. It is just the frigid ocean or unheated pools that I’m not a big fan of. I’m cold from the minute I walk in until I’ve dried off completely…and I’m typically cold to start with. Yes, even when it is 85 degrees, I’d rather sweat than get into the water. I have the nickname Kitten for a reason…unless I am roasting, no water for me.
I tell people about my aversion to water and they say “Aren’t you an Aquarian?” Yes, I am. But Aquarius is an AIR sign. We pour water, not swim in it. Ruby is a Pisces and loves the water. Thankfully, I have not tainted her with my fears and lack of enthusiasm.
Don’t get me wrong, I like being near water. The beach is one of my favorite places -- sitting on the deck gazing out at the ocean with a pina colada is just divine. And the feeling of water and sand squishing through my toes is one of my favorites. Just please don’t force me to go in.
I never wanted to be one of those moms who wouldn’t play. You know the type – sitting on the park bench while their children run around. On dry land, I love getting out there and being active with Rubes, but at the pool I’d rather just sit on the side dangling my feet. Sadly, this approach typically results in a steady drone of “play with me” and “why aren’t you coming in?” I think the best tool in my anti-pool arsenal would be to make sure Rubes always has a friend to swim with. But even then, I can’t truly relax. If she is in the water, I feel this mother bear instinct to be nearby. My eyes don't leave her for more than a few seconds. I'm guessing that even when she is 19, if she swimming, I will be on alert.
For the past few years, my pool season solution was Bob. Another Pisces, he is my swimming savior. I sit on the side, getting sun and keeping my feet in to stay cool while he plays games with Rubes, tossing her around, letting me off the hook. No such luck this summer. I feel his absence everywhere, every day, but especially at the pool.
This year, I guess I’m stuck sucking it up and getting into the dang pool. Sometimes, I’ll even get my hair wet, which will result in pure joy on Ruby’s part and will have her talking about it for days like I achieved some great feat. This is a sacrifice I will make to keep my girl happy. I know there will come a day in the not-too-distant future when she doesn’t want to swim with me at all. When that day comes, I'll be sad (for a moment) and nostalgic, while lounging on a poolside chaise nice and dry.
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