As you get older you feel a bit silly going to the gym and silly learning to swim. That was one of the reasons the women-only element of this swim class really mattered to me, if it had been a mixed class I would have been so embarrassed to go. Actually, even when I knew it was going to be female only, it took me a deep breath to get in there and do it.
But it turned out to be brilliant. The instructors, Mel and Holly, welcomed me with open arms into this lovely group of women. We had just started the second part of the course when Covid hit.
I got laid off from work and Summer wasn’t in school, so we started doing these all-American, exciting workouts.
Summer was doing a triathlon at the time and going to a lot of races. I noticed in her app, his spirit, training podcasts were running. I didn’t even know what a podcast was at the time, but I gave it a try; I went to see if I could jog in the park. I was red in the face, huffing and puffing, it really wasn’t going too well, but little by little I went a little further and further and finally asked if I could join my daughter. running up Totem Hill, we’re pretty flat around Nottingham where I live and that’s the only particularly steep hill and I managed to make it all the way to the top.
I was trying to keep up with her, but I think she was thinking that if I could keep up with her, I’d have to run a little longer and a little better, so she encouraged us both and we kept it together.
A few months after the pandemic, these two beautiful lakes opened up for swimming near us. If you were under 18, you had to have a parent there, so I went and sat on the edge to watch Summer swim.
I don’t like to go into unclear waters, I’m even afraid to go into the sea: I want to know what’s under my feet. This was a cloudy lake. But gradually, Summer convinced me to give it a try. She just got certified as a lifeguard and swim instructor, so she taught me what to do. I never expected to love it, but I’ve been swimming in open water every week since, even when the lake dropped to three degrees this winter. Now I somehow signed up to swim at Coniston Water; God knows how I’ll manage to do that, but I’m going to try.
It has been brilliant for my daughter and me. We really encourage each other, instead of sitting with me watching her do her activities. I think it’s been nice for her to see me participate in her hobbies.
We recently took a vacation boat trip and I did what I always do: sit on the boat and take pictures. But my daughter decided that she was going to take me in. She was very scared, but I recovered, clinging to the ladder, shaking as she went down. But I put my face in the water and I saw all these fish and an amazing underwater sculpture park. I’ve never done that in my entire life. It felt like a huge accomplishment for me.
It has bonded me and Summer in some way. Now I have more time with her, I’m not in a hurry, I don’t have to run to catch a flight, I’m not out at key moments. It is nice. She’s going to college this year and she’s leaving, so she’s given us some quality time before she leaves for whatever she does next.
It’s been nice to find this common interest that I never knew we had. His encouragement makes you appreciate him even more.
Have you reconnected with a family member through sports or exercise? Tell us in the comments section below.
.
