Broadening one's horizons
A few weekends ago I let some friends persuade me to spend the day at a lake with them. This was quite a feat on their part (I think they've been trying for the past few summers). I view most bodies of water with suspicion, since they're loaded with fishes and other creatures that have villainous intentions towards my toes. And given that I grew up in a desert, I never really had to deal with this (trivial) fear.
The boat wasn't as bad as I expected at all. After a little self-conditioning about the harmlessness of this particular water, I even went out on an inner tube and thought myself quite brave as it was very close to the water. Some of the other folks were even foolhardy enough to try water skiing, but as you have to get in the actual water (absolutely no protection against submarine animals! You'd have to beat them off with the skis! I don't think you'd be successful) I opted completely out of that one.
On a more practical note, I didn't get sunburnt (another feat, due to all my ancestors from the northern bits of the world). And boats are pretty okay so long as they're high enough above the water and don't bounce too much. And there were lots of yummy fruits and cookies for lunch. Next time I don't think I'll put up a fight if they ask me.
The boat wasn't as bad as I expected at all. After a little self-conditioning about the harmlessness of this particular water, I even went out on an inner tube and thought myself quite brave as it was very close to the water. Some of the other folks were even foolhardy enough to try water skiing, but as you have to get in the actual water (absolutely no protection against submarine animals! You'd have to beat them off with the skis! I don't think you'd be successful) I opted completely out of that one.
On a more practical note, I didn't get sunburnt (another feat, due to all my ancestors from the northern bits of the world). And boats are pretty okay so long as they're high enough above the water and don't bounce too much. And there were lots of yummy fruits and cookies for lunch. Next time I don't think I'll put up a fight if they ask me.