Throwback Thursday #34 – Learning To Swim

I am back again for the April modified Throwback Thursday.  Maggie and I take turns writing this blog. Because many are involved in the A to Z Challenge, April’s prompts are going to be without specific questions. You can choose to go where your mind takes you. Feel free to respond however your mind wants to go. But please also remember, this is a family friendly blog.

As always you can:

• Write your own post sharing your memories and leave a pingback to this post in the comments.
• You can use the photo above in your post to make it easier to find.
• Tag it with #TBTMemory or #IRememberWhen.
• Feel free to add pictures if you’d like to.
• If you do not wish to write your own post, feel free to tell your story in the comments below.

My choice for this week’s prompt is: Learning To Swim

How, when, where, and why did you learn to swim? Have fun with the prompt. I look forward to your responses.

My response follows. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I am going to start with the time I did not learn to swim. It is a vivid memory. We went to a friend’s house and no cajoling, prompting, or bribing would get me into the pool. Everyone was having a great time. I stubbornly, wouldn’t even put my feet into the water. I was playing with the family dog and using the hose to chase him. After a wonderful BBQ lunch everyone was relaxing on towels and lounging on chairs. I walked over to the deep end of the pool and proclaimed, “I go in now!” and jumped in. I don’t recall who got to me first, but there were many wet adults in the pool when I was brought up to the surface. I was not traumatized or scared. I sputtered the water out of my mouth and laughed at it all.   

Many years later, we were at Puddingstone Park. It was great because there were no waves that knocked you down. It was a very primitive area at the time. My mom took me out wading and asked if I wanted to swim. She proceeded to hold me up while I dog paddled away. I was swimming before too long. We went back often to swim there. When I got older, I would swim at friend’s houses. I was nowhere near the swimmer my brother was, but I felt safe swimming in lakes, pools, and the Pacific Ocean. In high school, we were required to take swimming as one of our PE rotations. I was thrilled knowing I was not a “rock.” That was the name for the girls that were afraid of the water. 

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