I have always been afraid of drowning - deathly afraid of
drowning. I have been afraid of
this ever since I can remember. No
– I didn’t have a terrifying experience as a child. I am a good swimmer – but I have always been afraid. I recently had the opportunity to
overcome this fear and push past it in dramatic fashion. All of it inspired by a man named
Lou.
I met Lou on a National Geographic Cruise to Alaska with
Lindblad Expeditions. The cruise
was an amazing experience, not the least of which, because you meet great
people when you travel with them.
Lou DeLustro is the kind of guy that grabs life by the horns – whether
that involves a martini mixed with glacial ice or a very icy dip in the
ocean. Lou had the idea to go
swimming in 44 degree water and crazy me – I thought that was a good idea
too. Turns out - I was tired of
being afraid.
So what is it like to swim – even briefly - in water that
cold? Well it’s cold – crazy
cold. But it isn’t
terrifying. I can admit that all
plans to swim around or see who could stay in the water the longest were
quickly abandoned. But being cold
and in the water – was not the end of the world. Yes -I was highly motivated to get back in the boat – but as
luck would have it – and the order in which we jumped – I stayed in the
longest. And I am fine. Actually I am better than fine –
because I am no longer afraid.
So you may wonder what this trip has to do with Childhood
dreams. It has to do with
fearlessness and finding friends along the way. Turns out that five people made the dive that day. We nicknamed ourselves the
Puffins. Puffins are these
wonderful birds that are stuck somewhere between being designed for flying and
diving. I absolutely love
them. You should see them work
like hell to get airborne. Most
birds have these light airy bones so that they can fly easily, instead Puffins
have bones that are heavy enough for them to dive in the water and catch
fish. I think they make the
perfect analogy for dreamers. You
have to work hard to fly and be heavy enough to dive – and ultimately face your
fears. Which I got to do!
So I want to say thank you to my companions in the dive -
Lou, Angie, Randeen and Cindy - as well as the people who waited for us with
warm towels and open arms –Dane, Hanna, Chuck, Frank, Sue, Linda, and Billy.
And to Lou in particular – I am raising a glass to you becoming the inspiration for many more people’s adventures!
Legal note – This was not Lindblad's idea. We did this at our own risk and I am not
asserting that you should risk hypothermia to prove a point – only that I
did! LOL
