A World of Water
It's interesting, you know, the things you see at a water park.
Hundreds and hundreds of bodies. Tall ones, short ones, round ones, skinny ones, muscular ones, lazy ones, happy ones, hardly any sad ones, tattoed ones, hairy ones...well, you get the picture. The idea that we are all created so differently astounds me. Rather than one body type that gets pictured in every magazine and every movie and every billboard, there should be pictures of all of these types. And, I'm sure, if you look hard enough, there are. But I will venture to say that you just don't know what's out there until you've been to a water park.
And perhaps the most interesting thing about this is the inhibition of all those bodies. I'm telling you, there are some people out there with more self esteem than they gave to The Situation. The people are truthfully and honestly happy, content and pleased with themselves. Any girl-myself included-who needs some help with comfort in her own skin, should get to a water park today. It will seriously rock your world.
I also saw a little girl-6, maybe 7-standing behind me, in line for a water ride consisting of 8 slides; the beginning very twirly, twisty and colorful (in fact, that's what I named it-Colorful Twirly Slide) that ends up in wavy, downhill slopes. The idea is to have 8 racers. A buzzer sounds when it's time to go, signaling the beginning of the race! After you dive-shamelessly-onto your water carpet, you zip down around those curves, being shot in the face with much too much water until you thrust your body downward to beat you opponents down the slide. Not the point. The point was that little girl. With blue, inquisitive eyes she looked up to her older brother.
"Is it really dark in the tunnel?"
"How long will I be in the dark for?"
"Is the slide fast?"
"Will I get water in my eyes?"
"Is it scary? Will I scream? Will I choke on water?"
The brother, so obviously annoyed, begged her to just relax, take it easy, and see for herself. Now, I can see the benefits of putting all fears aside and seeing for yourself. But she was simply assessing the dangers and risks of said water slide. She just wanted to know what she ought to be prepared for. She simply does not like adrenaline or danger or risk taking. She likes plans and answers.
And I am made just like her.
I may not have been asking all those questions out loud, but you can bet your bottom I was thinking them. I've grown to understand that waterslides cannot harm me or ruin my life, but at the age of 7, I wasn't so sure. And I'm still unsure as to what risks aren't going to harm me or hurt me.
So, when I ask questions and seem a little afraid, it's because I am inquisitive and I like to have some answers. And while I understand I won't always get the answers, I'd still like to discuss the possibilities. Talking about them, out loud, brings a calm and ease to me, even if it isn't a guarantee. Silence just seems to make it all a bit...darker, for me.
And above all things at the water park, I caught a few glimpses of the Three Musketeers. That's what my mom, my brother and I have been since as far back as I can remember. The three of us, we have a great thing. We have a friendship, a love, an understanding, a respect, and a bond that is so uniquely us that I could never describe it in writing. We're goofy and fun and three perfect peas in a pod. Even though we are growing and changing (let's not discuss that just yet) we are a group that will forever remain "tight".
The world to me, or to a 7 year old, can seem awfully fluid; constantly moving and changing and shifting in directions you can never predict. I have to believe that some things will always remain, especially this week. Because I just can't believe that Cam is going to college in THREE days, but I hope that we still have a lot of trips and travels to add to our silly list of adventures.
Love you both, so very much.
Hundreds and hundreds of bodies. Tall ones, short ones, round ones, skinny ones, muscular ones, lazy ones, happy ones, hardly any sad ones, tattoed ones, hairy ones...well, you get the picture. The idea that we are all created so differently astounds me. Rather than one body type that gets pictured in every magazine and every movie and every billboard, there should be pictures of all of these types. And, I'm sure, if you look hard enough, there are. But I will venture to say that you just don't know what's out there until you've been to a water park.
And perhaps the most interesting thing about this is the inhibition of all those bodies. I'm telling you, there are some people out there with more self esteem than they gave to The Situation. The people are truthfully and honestly happy, content and pleased with themselves. Any girl-myself included-who needs some help with comfort in her own skin, should get to a water park today. It will seriously rock your world.
I also saw a little girl-6, maybe 7-standing behind me, in line for a water ride consisting of 8 slides; the beginning very twirly, twisty and colorful (in fact, that's what I named it-Colorful Twirly Slide) that ends up in wavy, downhill slopes. The idea is to have 8 racers. A buzzer sounds when it's time to go, signaling the beginning of the race! After you dive-shamelessly-onto your water carpet, you zip down around those curves, being shot in the face with much too much water until you thrust your body downward to beat you opponents down the slide. Not the point. The point was that little girl. With blue, inquisitive eyes she looked up to her older brother.
"Is it really dark in the tunnel?"
"How long will I be in the dark for?"
"Is the slide fast?"
"Will I get water in my eyes?"
"Is it scary? Will I scream? Will I choke on water?"
The brother, so obviously annoyed, begged her to just relax, take it easy, and see for herself. Now, I can see the benefits of putting all fears aside and seeing for yourself. But she was simply assessing the dangers and risks of said water slide. She just wanted to know what she ought to be prepared for. She simply does not like adrenaline or danger or risk taking. She likes plans and answers.
And I am made just like her.
I may not have been asking all those questions out loud, but you can bet your bottom I was thinking them. I've grown to understand that waterslides cannot harm me or ruin my life, but at the age of 7, I wasn't so sure. And I'm still unsure as to what risks aren't going to harm me or hurt me.
So, when I ask questions and seem a little afraid, it's because I am inquisitive and I like to have some answers. And while I understand I won't always get the answers, I'd still like to discuss the possibilities. Talking about them, out loud, brings a calm and ease to me, even if it isn't a guarantee. Silence just seems to make it all a bit...darker, for me.
And above all things at the water park, I caught a few glimpses of the Three Musketeers. That's what my mom, my brother and I have been since as far back as I can remember. The three of us, we have a great thing. We have a friendship, a love, an understanding, a respect, and a bond that is so uniquely us that I could never describe it in writing. We're goofy and fun and three perfect peas in a pod. Even though we are growing and changing (let's not discuss that just yet) we are a group that will forever remain "tight".
The world to me, or to a 7 year old, can seem awfully fluid; constantly moving and changing and shifting in directions you can never predict. I have to believe that some things will always remain, especially this week. Because I just can't believe that Cam is going to college in THREE days, but I hope that we still have a lot of trips and travels to add to our silly list of adventures.
Love you both, so very much.
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