I remember the colour of the pool that day
when I watched you stand in the shallow end, fall forward, kick your legs and
swing your arms as you swam through the cobalt blue water toward the ladder in the
deep end. The sun glinted off the ripples you made as your body moved
awkwardly, but successfully to keep you afloat and move forward. The air tasted
thick with heat. The green backdrop of our yard and the surrounding trees that
hugged our pool area in a protective, supportive way was fuzzy because my eyes
were hyper-focused on you.
This was the moment we’d all been waiting for. You’d
been working so hard and your bravery and determination would now shine
through. Your giggling laugh risked the possibility of you taking on water as you swam beside
your brother whose encouraging shouts kept you moving. And when you finally
reached the ladder how many times did you climb up and return to the shallow
end splashing back in with an abandonment that sent water all over the slate
grey deck? Once, twice, and on and on to the fifth and sixth ‘lap’ from shallow
to deep waters.
There was no stopping you now that you knew you could do it.
You were a big guy now, just like your brother. The
deep end was yours and you had conquered it. And that’s what is so beautiful
about you. It takes you longer to learn things and to summon up your courage to
try things, but once you’ve got them, you’ve got them! And you do learn.
You do accomplish. You do conquer. It’s just all on your own time, and in your
own way. When given the opportunity you never fail to amaze us.
Oh, how you love the water. It frees you and allows you to be in your own world doing your own thing. Presume competence because competent you are. Look at you go!
(click here to see the video or click below)
(video taken Aug. 3, 2014)
