True Freedom

“Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.” -Shel Silverstein


I recognize that I have true freedom in my present situation. I have love, intellect, and curiosity.  These attributes of freedom allow me to embrace the opportunities I see in my life.  Such as, asking questions, and learning to love others in a more authentic way.  Freedom to ask questions allows me to understand other's personal place of freedom, and equips me to best serve them.  
      I have a strong aquatics background that I attribute to my family's love of water.  So, through much practice and respect for the power of water, I have come to embrace it and feel completely comfortable with it.  This comfort led me to pursue certifications through the Red Cross as a lifeguard, WSI, FIT, and first aid.  When explaining my teaching methods to my swimming students I tell them I work to give them the tools they need to best swim.  In order to swim one needs to understand their body.  Therefore, I try to teach my students to trust their bodies, knowing they have air, and they are capable of controlling the air if they can understand it.  In order to understand the air they must utilize their pilot, better known as their brain, trusting it to keep them safe. They must also understand the other tools they use to aid them in learning swimming, such as a kick board, goggles, lane lines etc.  Despite the power of these tools I teach my students they must first trust their bodies, or their tools will only cripple them. For if one does not first learn to trust their body, they will struggle to use the other tools properly.  All of that being said, as a person raised in the Christian faith, I must be cautious of my desire to "save" people.  This is a difficult task considering the enormous strength the Christian faith possesses here in the South.  When explaining my philosophy of "saving" to a group of trusted friends, I related it to swimming and life guarding because it is a gradual process dependent on the individuals present situation. This takes critical judgement, practice, exploration, and time, all qualities I believe a free person possesses.  
      So, all of this analysis leaves me with questions, what skills do my future students in life need that I can provide? What skills do I still need? Lastly, how can we work together to acquire these tools? I'm grateful for the freedom to question, and use my creativity in doing so.


In trusting myself, I'd love to stay up all night and write, but I need sleep.  Therefore, soon to come some pictures of why I love water.


Here they are...