Swimming Lessons:

From my office window I watch a pair of hummingbirds squabble over “Lady in Red’ and “Coral Nymph” sage, and dart under squash plants searching for nasturtium blossoms.

The vegetable garden is full-blown, flouncy with over-grown plants. Downright messy, is what it is. The tomatoes have taken over the north end completely and the winter squash (supposedly a mini mix with plants and fruit that stayed small) has vined over everything in its path, despite or because of my desperate pruning.

I’ve been thinking about writing workshops and learning. Those thoughts always bring me to the memory of my oldest son and swim lessons. He was one when we started in the moms and tots class, so by the time he was ready to learn rhythmic breathing he was comfortable in the water.

But rhythmic breathing is difficult. It takes coordination, timing, practice, and trust. Trust’s the thing you have to find inside yourself.

With rhythmic breathing, you take a breath at just the right time, hold it and then, blow it out. That’s basically it, except there are all kinds of finesse involved. Your arms and chin and body need to be in the right place at the right time for this skill to work perfectly. When all of those elements are right, then you have to trust yourself enough to take that breath. If your timing is off, you get a mouthful of water.

I watched my son take a breath, push off from the pool wall and swim, but he wouldn’t blow out that breath. He kept taking another breath as he turned his head to the side with his arm right where it should be, but when his face was in the water, he held onto that breath. He wouldn’t blow the air into the water. He held on to it.

He took several sessions of the class and still, he held on to that breath. He held onto that breath until he couldn’t hold on any longer and then he grabbed for the wall gasping for air. He practiced in every way he could. In the water, out of the water, but when he tried to put the technique to work, he couldn’t trust it.

It took two summers before it clicked, before he finally tried the one thing that would work. He had to trust in it and himself.

I think writing and writing classes are a lot like that.