a Shark in the Water

Today, I went swimming with my nephew. I haven't gone swimming like that for years. I started on my own, walking into the "cold" water. My sister says it's freezing, when really it isn't any worse than the showers I've had on days where the hot water is out. 

It's not that bad... really.

I've forgotten a lot of simple things though, like the fact that the cold is still a shock to the body and I shouldn't proceed to exert my body immediately. Any guesses on what I did     next? Laps. I ran up and down the length of the pool until my body couldn't handle it any more. which of course wasn't very long at all... I'd say 10-15 minutes at most. The important part was the state of mind it put me in. I came back to the shallow end to visit with my sister and nephew. My nephew had just gotten in trouble, he does that a lot. As luck would have it I jumped through some bars at the pool and proceeded to get myself into trouble too...

Boys will be boys.

After my nephew and me had a quick chat with Mom and lifeguard, respectively, it was back to the pool for fun. Only minutes into our swim had passed when something magical had happened... We found a boat in the water!

a boat

I have no idea how much time passed on that boat, at most it was only two hours... but it felt like days upon days. With my nephew and his young friend we powered around the seas. We fought pirates, we killed sharks and ate them for dinner, we won swimming trophies. (O.K. They won swimming trophies... apparently I suck at swimming so I don't get any trophies... so sayeth the kids) 

For a while even I was the shark, swimming under the mat... I mean boat... and attacking... lifting the mat into the sky! and hearing the kids scream! It was a new kind of scream to my ears... this was not a scream of fear, or of anger or of any negative emotion. it was a scream of J-O-Y. An excitement so wild and beyond control they could not contain themselves! "Again! Again!" they shouted. and I did.

I continued lifting the boat into the sky over and over until the lifeguard stopped me, told me it wasn't safe for them. I listened out of respect for the lifeguard. but what did she know? I had them, they were in no danger. Whether they bumped their heads, or there was a swimming pool bully.. there was no problem that I could not fix for them. none of the problems I have matter. I could protect them for a while, from everything... with me, they would be happy. 

Today I learned the most amazing thing about myself...

I am Superman.