10/25/2023
Do the thing…. 👏 Do it scared! 👏
Let's talk about doing scary things and why I'm 34 years old with swimming medals hanging in my childhood home and I'm taking an "adult learn to swim class".
I "can swim"… but I also can't really swim... I don't know what happened between my childhood and now but something scared me along the journey and my fear of swimming has compounded over the years to the point where I just avoid it as much as possible. Swimming makes me feel panicked and as anyone will tell you, the worst thing you can do in the water is panic. So I just don't do it... even though not being a strong swimmer and living on an island doesn't really align.
Learning anything as an adult is often terrifying. There aren't always safe spaces available to lean into the vulnerability of being an adult woman learning to swim all over again. I'm so grateful that on Nantucket we do have a safe space to do this.
It all got got me to thinking; Am I learning or am I remembering? Doesn't that apply to so many other areas of life? Our fears, insecurities and traumas are all part of our survival software and as we heal and grow through difficult or uncomfortable situations we aren't so much "learning" as we are "remembering". Remembering who we were before the trauma caused us to switch to survival mode... remembering the strength we have under the shields of protection we have put up... remembering we can do hard things even when they are scary or seem insurmountable.
Learning/remembering to swim all over again might seem like a very practical skill (and it is) but at the core, swimming feels like another form of deep healing and shadow work. And if there's anything I've learned about healing thus far it's that it's anything but comfortable. It's often wildly uncomfortable! But if you have strong support around you, it's a little bit easier to lean in and embrace the yucky parts so that you can finally uncover the really good stuff.
That's how my "remembering to swim" experience has been so far; a reminder that only by digging out from under our deepest fears can we uncover our bravest, most authentic selves.
My deep gratitude to Jim Meehan and all the volunteers at the Adult Learn to Swim program cannot be adequately put into words. Their dedication to sharing their time and expertise is making such a difference in our community; giving people confidence in a newfound or newly remembered skill and in turn helping them to heal their own fears and traumas and ultimately leading to a safer community.
In the space of a couple of weeks, I've gone from absolutely dreading going to swim class to being so excited to get back in there. Sometimes it's so scary that my entire body shakes. But sometimes I find it to be the most peaceful part of my day. Every time I leave, I feel like I've accomplished climbing the world's highest mountain.
But the most inspiring part of this program? The other adults learning to swim. I am in awe of their bravery. To take the courageous leap to step into a pool and learn (for the very first time, for some of the students) something that is steeped in so much fear and anxiety... that is truly inspirational to me. When my legs are shaking because I physically cannot seem to lift my foot to step to the edge of the diving board and jump in, I think about the courage it took for all those other students to be there and conquer their fears too. What an incredible thing it is to be able to learn a new skill as an adult! What a brave thing it is to dive into the depths of our
traumas and swim back to the surface (corny pun intended).
Is there something you have been wanting to do / learn / remember that you're fearful
of? Maybe it's a new skill, workout or sport. Maybe it's going to therapy. Maybe it's repairing a relationship. My advice? Do it. Do it scared. But if you can - do it with the support of a community you trust to hold your through the scary process.
❤️❤️❤️
