Picking the Brain: Remember to keep kicking and reaching for what’s ahead of you

Like many people around here, I have the “distinct pleasure” of living with a homeowner’s association. Love ’em or hate ’em, these oftentimes frustrating little arrangements do come with a few perks sometimes.

One luxury I get for my quarterly tithe In my particular community is access to a small pool every summer. I walked out my door the other morning to find that, joy among joys, our annual treat was filled and ready.

This welcome sight was a sign that summer is nigh upon us.

That means it’s time for Slip ‘n Slides, cannonballs, water parks, splash bombs and dad showing off his extensive vocabulary while trying to get the above-ground pool pieced together in the backyard. It also means our community pools are getting ready to open up to children and families. Many offer different programs such as swimming teams, pool parties, and swimming lessons.

I’d like to expound on that third example today.

Swimming lessons are pivotal to anyone who wants to safely enjoy any aquatic adventure. Nobody wants to be like one of those toys you dive for at the bottom of the pool.

We learn to keep kicking and keep grabbing the water in front of us. Some need a paddle board or water wings. Others take to it like a duck on water (my fingers hurt typing that silly cliché.) Very few of us learn this skill on our own. We need someone to guide us until we have the skills to navigate on our own. Sometimes, we even need someone to come in and save us when we lose those skills.

Many who learn simply go on and take advantage of the opportunities and activities that come along with deciding how far or how deep you can go. Some will teach others how to keep going and keep their head above the water.

Swimming is all about kicking your feet and grabbing for the water in front of you. If you don’t keep kicking, you’ll lose your momentum and sink to the bottom. If you stop reaching for what’s in front of you, you’ll lose your direction and eventually hit a wall. You’ll also be unable to steer out of the way of dangerous hazards around you like splash bombs or that big kid coming off the diving board.

If we lose our forward momentum, we lose our ability and our drive to keep going and put ourselves in danger of drowning in the situation we’ve ended up in. When we lose our ability to reach for what’s ahead of us, we lose our vision of where we want to go. We keep going in the same direction until something stops us or pulls/pushes us under until we kick ourselves back up and can only stay where we are. We have to learn to do both if we want to have control of our own experience and fully enjoy the water.

Most of us don’t learn to swim on our own. Someone has to teach us. Often it’s a parent or relative. Sometimes it’s a friend. Sometimes it’s a complete stranger. A lot of folks help us learn to swim. We may find ourselves eventually teaching someone else how to swim.

We’re controlling whether or not they’ll have the skills to enjoy swimming and playing pool games with friends and family. We teach them to stay afloat and move with purpose. We have to make sure they learn to do it right.

Sometimes we may end up being the one who has to dive in and save someone when they can’t swim.

I worked summers as lifeguard In high school. Some folks made me want to chuck a plugged toaster into the pool, but I knew I had to be ready to save them. There were several times when a kid or even an adult would sink low, and I had to get them to safety. If they could, I would have them paddle with me. Other times, I had to pull them out on my own. All the while, I had to be careful to make sure the person didn’t pull me down with them.

One way or another, I was something they could hold onto while they got to a place where they could safely take care of themselves. We may find ourselves being that steady flotation device for someone to cling to when they can’t swim.

Whether you’re swimming or just going about everyday life this summer, remember to keep kicking and reaching for what’s ahead of you. Help others get momentum and direction, and be there to help them if they can’t stay afloat.

TC Pierceall is a lifelong Hannibal resident, writer, and member of the local music community. He graduated Quincy University in winter 2015 where he studied journalism. TC lives in Hannibal with his trusty cat Chloe.