Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is. ~German proverb
When I was a child I did not go into the deep end
swimming is hard to learn when you never leave dry land
I lingered at the shallow side
needing to have my
feet touch the bottom of the pool
the only thing I truly learned that day
was to hold on to the side tight
you see my fear of the loss of control gripped me even
tighter
fear is a harsh teacher
it can bruise and it can maim
providing a true regret
that sticks with you like a heavy meal on a hot day
the kind that leaves you thirsty and parched
yet it is there that courage can immerge
in the longing to quench the deepest of thirsts
when hands reach out
you learn to let go of the sides
and venture deeper in
for that is the only way to learn
and get where you surely need to be.
I relate to this poem so much. I was always fearful of the water, had a bad experience when I was young and ever after would only stand in the water up to my ankles, at most once or twice a year. Thankfully my kids and grandkids love the water.
ReplyDeleteFear is indeed a harsh teacher in many subjects in the journey of life. I think we are able to overcome
ReplyDeletefear in small steps, most of the time. Your poems speaks truth and there is an underlying message that sometimes, you need to let go to learn to swim.
I agree with you, Carrie, you can only grow when you allow yourself to leave the comfort zone.
ReplyDelete"swimming is hard to learn when you never leave dry land" what a brilliant line!!
ReplyDeleteI felt the fear throughout (one I share) and that letting to and reaching out is such a leap of faith
Good analogy here, Carrie. That's the way we learn to cope with life, crawling, standing, walking, and running, each learned in progression.
ReplyDeleteIf learning is our goal then we must study and practice, somethings memorize, and study the pages of our book one by one. Never will we master any subject without going through the pages.
I couldn't even dog paddle until I took swimming in a college P.E. class. We started by learning to kick our legs while still holding the side of the pool.
Next we left the sides and held on to a boogie board and propelled ourselves around the pool, after which we quit the boards and learned to use our hands in coordination with the legs.
The rest of the course we learned other strokes and finished with diving and long time survival techniques.
Unfortunately I broke a foot in a hazing incident and could only come back six weeks later when I no longer wore my cast. That was backstroke time and still I swim best using the backstroke.
My final grade was a B because I had barely learned the earlier strokes and wasn't comfortable with them.
..
There is nothing quite like trying to keep your toes in contact with the bottom--it feels like the entire pool is trying to lift you from your secure point. Love the way this carries the idea of learning to overcome that worry.
ReplyDeleteSurely the best bit is when we let go of the poolside edge, and find the freedom of the deep end?:-) ♥
ReplyDeleteI identified with this one, Carrie. My mother had a dreadful fear of water and she relayed it to me quite well. I am not comfortable unless my feet touch bottom still --- and isn't that a good metaphor for life......making sure our feet touch bottom??
ReplyDeleteBe bold! Feel the fear and do it anyway, as someone said.
ReplyDeleteTook me back to learning to swim at the YWCA
ReplyDeleteThanks for the music video also
Happy Sunday
Much💛love
'regret/ that sticks with you like a heavy meal on a hot day' - this is a line to remember. Fear and courage so expertly portrayed.
ReplyDeleteAlways grateful to so many hands along the way! We don't get through life by ourselves.
ReplyDeleteLearning can be very hard.
ReplyDeleteDeep water is a scary place for me. Lots of childhood memories and the fact that neither of my parents swam. However both of my sisters do. Your poem is beautifully presented .... I could feel your emotions. Yes. Hold on tight.
ReplyDeleteI became fearful of the water when I nearly drowned. I was a child in the bottom of a swimming pool when a man's foot found me and he reached down to pull me to the surface. I spent years holding on to the side of the pool after that.
ReplyDeleteWe all have to accept a helping hand, and be able to give one.
ReplyDeleteFear is a harsh teacher!
ReplyDelete