Plunging In

My Five Minute Friday on: Dive

It was a warm, July morning at the swim club. For several summers we took swimming lessons there. I was probably seven or eight years old and my group was practicing diving.

Since we were well past introductory diving, our instructor took us to the "diving pool" to practice diving off the small springboard. After several adequate attempts, the instructor allowed anyone who was interested to go off the high diving board.

I had always been curious about going off the high dive, so I decided to give it a try.

I remember feeling nervous as I climbed the long ladder. It was so high.

I'm not sure where I found the courage to leave the board, but this little seven year old dove. I stupidly, naively dove off — head first. I'm sure it wasn't a pretty sight.

I entered the water with a smack! I remember immediately feeling a sharp, stingy sensation on my face and arms from the belly flop my dive had become. I fought my way to the surface and cried my way to the pool's edge.

I am fairly certain I have not, in all my years since, gone off a high dive.

Choosing to dive off the high board that day felt like a mistake. I'm not sure how deeply that incident affected me, but it's certainly stayed with me all these years.

When I think of that day I am amazed that I even tried it. But like the dive requires, I plunged in, head first knowing success or failure, there was no going back.

And I hope that is the way I come at life. Willing to try, even though it may not turn out the way I imagined.

Linking up with Lisa-Jo…