Swimmer at sea

I have enrolled for swimming lessons. They begin tomorrow. I am very excited.

This is not my first attempt at learning swimming. The first was a good 11 years ago. That time, I had floundered. Thanks to absent instructors, over-confident peers, and the sight of merrily romping children, my self-esteem had drowned.

The second time was with friends. We planned to do rafting across the river Varahi in Karnataka. I struggled to stay afloat even with the rubber floaters shielding me from the water.

The third time was better. I have my friends Steph and Jenny to thank for it. After my failed attempt that left me vulnerable and wondering if it was worth it, they came up with new strategies to make me feel home on foreign watery ground. My phobia of water receded like waves receding from the shore; gone for now, but soon to come back, I am sure.

This time, I am taking it slow. I have enrolled for only 15 days, just so I get the hang of it. I visited the three places I had in mind, and have selected the place with a fairly good instructor-student ratio (1 is to 5) and a very neat, well-maintained pool. The other was to have 7 instructors and 50 students in the pool at once! The third seemed better than the second, but the instructor-student ratio was closer to the second one. The place I have selected falls mid-way between my home and my office, so it should be rather convenient as well.

Tomorrow, as the sun shines down from the sky above me, the ground beneath my feet will feel less slippery, I hope. Ready I am, once again, to make peace with water.