A shameful secret

[london1967]

Comments

[maxauburn]

I hated camp and the impatient counselor who tried to teach me how to swim.

I finally learned as a teenager by simply watching how others did it.

I think you'll do just fine, and I agree: anyone who's going to give you a hard time about learning to swim by staring and lauging ought to be told to stop it immediately.

[london1967]

Well done Jerry for learning on your own!

People are not laughing... they just smirk!

[paterson_si]

A quick mend... shower and try to pour your water over your face. You might be grasping for air at first but you'll feel more and more comfortable with your face being - kind of - immersed in water. From there on... you'll be on the way of total pleasure of being in water.

[sunsmogseahorse]

That helps--it's good to learn that if you get water up your nose, you won't die.

Franco might just play around in a pool by himself or with friends to get used to shallower water.

Franco, I'd be happy to teach you to swim when I'm there next. I've done it before and I'm not mean :)

[london1967]

Thank you Ted! It'd be great.
It'd be good to have someone standing in the pool ready to catch me. Then I'd try to glide face down.

[london1967]

I've held my head under water in the pool but not feeling quite comfortable yet.

Thanks for the tip, Tomaz!

[wescobear]

Even if you don't enjoy it, learning to swim is very important; it could save your life some day. Just keep with it and relax. As for the crowd watching, ignore them: they had to learn to swim at some point, too.

[london1967]

Thanks, I'll try to stick to it and do my best!

[badgerpdx]

I think if you had some burly furry muscular muscle god supporting your waist as you lay facedown in the shallow water and slowly releasing you bit by bit, you'd soon calm down, but what to do about the sudden appearance of the additional appendage? (innocent smile).

I had a HUGE crush on my swimming instructor, even as a wee lad I was always in the pool underneath him on the deck, trying to look up his shorts. Terrible, I know, but he had that bleached out blond leg hair, and I couldn't help myself. I started out terrified, but I quickly learned to love swimming.

[london1967]

Are you offering? ;-)
The appendage would surely work as a fin, right?

[badgerpdx]

Or like a dagger board on a sailboat.

Alas, I'm not furry...

[london1967]

Well neither am I!

[nzguy1]

Just don't panic Franco...and don't feel put off because others are looking and smiling. They also had to learn once! Another suggestion is to try putting your face into the sink or a bowl of water. Good luck...and stick with it.

[london1967]

Thank you, Al!
Or I can always press the panic button, right?