I'm vain enough that I'm uneasy about displaying my pale plump torso to the multitudes around the pool or at the beach, despite the fact that I'm far from the plumpest or palest one there. (Well, not the plumpest, at any rate; I am pretty damn pale). But as with most things Josephine, the prospect of getting out for a swim with her overcomes my venial inhibitions.
There were plenty of places to swim, and we didn't get to all of them. We started with the lagoon on Wednesday morning, and over the next few days spent time in the little blue pool, the slide pool, the ocean in front of the hotel, and at Kailua Beach on our way back from Kualoa Ranch. By the time we were at Kailua, she was at ease enough in the ocean (with her arm floaties on) that she was swimming back and forth from Nonni to me, and letting us toss her around some in the water.
Josie's always loved swimming. I think back to the trip to San
Francisco, August 2007, when Mom and I took her down to the pool in the
hotel. The way she paddled around, I was sure that Marian had taken
her to the pool several times, but it turned out to be her first. She'd swim every day if given the chance.
I'm often in hotels with pools and almost never think of taking advantage of them, but on this trip I was determined. During the conference itself I was only able to get in the water once, but after it finished up I made sure to swim for a bit every day, and I am trying to pledge to myself to do a better job of it when I'm travelling. When I was a kid there were few activities I enjoyed more than swimming, and that lasted well into my teens. (When my dad received a small inheritance from a relative he spent a portion of it putting a pool in our backyard and I loved diving in on mornings after I'd been out late). But it's something I've lost the habit of as an adult and it's time to get it back! Think Brisbane.
Comments