Strange little nickname, ain't it?? Well, my astrological sign is Pisces, and while I set no stock by astrology, this is the one aspect of it that I agree with. I LOVE the water.
Not just like a lot... not just love. But LOVE!!!!!
Saturday I wanted to go to the beach, and Kurt was quite obliging and we took the dog down with us. What possessed me to think about taking my swimsuit and then simply reject that idea, I have no idea. But I didn't take it, which caused me much regret later.
Once we got to the beach, we headed right for the water. The waves were nice and big, and the water was just the right temperature. Kurt and I walked into the water a bit, but the dog doesn't like water at all, so Kurt retreated for the sake of the dog's sanity. I stayed and played. The waves would come crashing up, and I'd let them break against my legs, trying in vain to keep the water off my jean shorts (there is nothing more uncomfortable than wet denim on a not-so-hot day) and failing miserably. Two little girls came up next to me and were falling down intentionally and daring the waves to soak them further, and one of them wanted to stay close to me. So there I was -- a woman of 21 playing in the waves with two very small girls... I felt as young as they were. :o)
I don't remember when I learned to swim... it's something I've always known how to do. I think one of my parents mentioned something about swim lessons at the age of two, but I can't remember that far back...
One of my most favourite memories of when I was quite small was when my father would take us to the JCC to swim on the weekends he took care of us. I remember being small and wanting my dad and my sister to watch as I swam through the deep end. I remember watching the little kids on the wading pool and thinking they were such babies, even though a lot of them were my age at the time.
Then when I got to be a bit older, my family would take trips up to Michigan every summer, where my stepmother's family would rent a cottage on the shores of Lake Michigan and we'd spend a week swimming and spending time with her extended family. My cousin Aubrey and I were a lot like those little girls I mentioned earlier... we'd ride the waves back onto shore, let the waves knock us down, or throw insults at the waves because they weren't strong enough. We'd sleep in the upstairs room in the cottage and listen to the waves and watch the buoy lights play across the ceiling. And the next day, we'd be back out on the beach.
My mother used to own a condo on the beach, but strangely enough I wouldn't go down very often. As I've gotten older, I have gotten to dislike the intense heat and light that you get when you're on the beach, and with extremely fair skin, I burn easily.
So it's been quite a while since I made it down to the beach... and this time I went all the way to the oceanfront. I was dying to go in the water... to get my swimming in a natural body of water fix. It's just not the same swimming in a pool. :o)
The next tattoo I get will be on my right shoulder blade... the symbol for Pisces, the Fish.