The swimming lesson

So I finally decided I needed to learn swimming for four reasons. First, it's getting hotter and resultantly my walks are getting shorter which leaves me without any real exercise, second I'm afraid of water and I don't want to be, third Anshuman wants to take me on a cruise but I refuse to go unless I know how to swim, fourth I love water so much and looking at people swimming like fish fills me with envy and longing. So I enrolled myself in classes. And yesterday the dreaded day came and I was literally quaking with fear because my instructor Jeewan told me clearly,"You won't be using a float." As you can see in the above photo if I don't have a float I remain latched on to the the stairs. And finally I was in four feet high water. Jeewan stood six feet away from me and told me to begin floating towards him. I whispered,"I'm scared." He asked again and I said,"I'm scared." Finally he held my fingers and I let go of the ground beneath me. He taught me how to breathe properly and after a while let go of my fingers. I was really quite proud of myself finally being in the water without help.

Then he tried to teach me how to float on my back but my body would become stiff like a bow. I tried to relax and at one point he told me,"Spread out your arms and legs like a starfish." And suddenly a picture of a dead starfish flashed across my mind but instead of being scared I was really amused at the way my brain works. Well I didn't do too well trying to float on my back but at least I wasn't afraid.

I got to know my instructor a little better. He is from Nepal but has spent more time with his uncle in India moving from one city to the other. He spoke perfect Hindi and promised I would be swimming like a fish at the end of our lessons. I continued to practise in the pool after he left only too glad to be in the calm waters for another half hour. So yay for me!