One thing you may or may not know about me is that I am a worrier. And a rule-follower. The combination of those two things sometimes makes it hard for me to try new things. Take, for instance, last week when we were in Morro Bay, California. D and the other boys, er ... men, decided to rent wet suits and go boogie boarding. That sounded like a lot of fun initially, and I agreed to join the fun.
But then I started thinking about danger, sharks, drowning, dangerous deadly currents, cold, and every bad thing I'd ever heard could happen in the ocean. I started to call out to D that, nevermind, I'd stay on the beach (wishing I had some guts). Luckily, D's mom who is the self-proclaimed Queen of Worrying, piped up. "It's perfectly safe," she said. "There are no sharks here. You should do it. I'll watch your kids." Which reminded me of my kids. Suddenly the thought occurred to me that, if I chose to follow my fears, not only would I have some sad regrets, but I would also be stuck in charge of my kids for 2-3 hours while D had a glorious time. That's a sure recipe for resentment. Also, I reasoned, if D's mom thinks it's safe, it surely must be.
So I swallowed my anxiety, squeezed into a wetsuit, and splashed out into the ocean. It was exhilarating--it always is when a small life mountain is scaled. (Also when kid-tending is avoided.) As we cleaned up afterwards, I noticed a small warning sign posted near the beach. Danger--sharks are known to visit these waters. Hmmm . . . it's a good thing I didn't see that earlier. I'm pretty sure I would have spent the afternoon sitting dry on the beach worrying about everybody else. As it was, I had a wonderful, almost worry-free, time.
2 comments:
How fun! The last time I attempted to play in the ocean, I was shocked at how different it was from when I was a kid. Suddenly I was less worried about what wave to ride and more worried about being stung by a jellyfish or having my toes pinched by crabs. What an old fogie (me, not you).
We are so sad we missed this Morro Bay trip. When Jake and I went last, it took some talking me into boogie boarding as well.... not because of the sharks, but because of the cold. We did have sea lions just feet away from us, which did make me think, if a shark was looking for one of those sea lions to eat, I was very near one, and also with the wet suit on, resembling one as well...yikes! Glad there were no shark attacks!
also, we got your package! The gift was so perfect- as you may or may not have know, Jake and i are trying to purchase a piano for Christmas! You could not have done better!
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