When I was a very small child, I took swimming lessons at the public pool. I assume there was some trepidation on my part, but learn to swim I sort of did, at the shallow end of the pool. However, as part of the coursework, we had to jump off the diving board at the deep end of the pool. I wasn’t very keen on doing that.
In fact, I wouldn’t do it. For day after day I refused to make the leap. Seeing other kids do it and survive [miraculously] did nothing to convince me to jump off the board. Having someone there to catch me did nothing to convince me to jump off the board. I ended up having to get bribed into it. I believe the promise was a G.I. Joe of some sort. I also recall trying to wheedle an entire vehicle out of the person [my grandfather i think, i was very very young] who was bribing me.
I ended up jumping off the diving board, of course. But I think that my point in telling this story is that from an early age, I have been either unwilling to take risks or unwilling to do something that doesn’t have some sort of tangible reward. I’m still hesitant to do anything risky [mostly emotionally] unless I’m certain of some sort of positive outcome. This is probably very selfish.
I was afraid of the diving board as a kid too. My thought, though, was that..well, it’s not going to kill me, I just need to do it. So I’D be scared stiff, but force myself to the point of no return and just do it.
Of course, I have a diving board (and my own stupidity) to thank for the scar on my chin.
I was always afraid of the high dive and only because I accidently did a back buster on it. One of the reasons why I later came to prefer it, was because I would always hit the bottom and get a better push back to the surface. My biggest fear was not making it back up to the surface, that somehow I’d go down and not be able to make it to the top.
To be fair Pat,it wasn’t the diving board’s fault some kid dared you to walk off of it with your eyes closed. And it wasn’t the diving board’s fault that you can’t walk in a straight line and you fell of the side onto the concrete. Really you should put blame where blame is due…and I think you know where that is!!
one, I did blame my own stupidity.
two, I wasn’t dared. Someone else was doing it and I thought it would be cool. The idea of never knowing when that fall was going to come..
Well I think you found out that fall came a lot sooner than you thought it would. And of course there was no splash at the end,only a thud.
and lots of cwying wike a widdle baby, i’m sure.