3/9 to 3/16/2019, Spring Break – Key West Florida Scuba Diving Adventure
We arrived in Key West on Saturday. Our classes (classroom and pool) were scheduled for Sunday and Monday with dives on Monday and Tuesday.
During Monday’s class we noticed that we were all tired so we postponed our boat trip to Tuesday. Honestly, while it was interesting to learn about scuba diving, I just wasn’t enjoying it. And, during the pool time, I kept having small equipment issues.
That night, I felt restless – I couldn’t sleep, which is very unusual for me. After 2 hours of tossing and turning, I finally started to pay attention to what was going on that was preventing me from sleeping. I let myself focus on the emotion I could feel, but I couldn’t really identify. I know that it made me restless; I couldn’t relax. When I silenced my brain, a vision of my father telling me that I was a wimp popped into my head. I worked through the restlessness and discomfort by having a conversation with myself. I told myself that I am not weak, just because I don’t want to scuba dive. I have a choice. I don’t have to dive if I don’t want to. All I have to do is decide if scuba, or anything else for that matter, makes me happy. Finally I relaxed with the sentiment that I can try diving and if I don’t like it, I don’t have to do it. I will go on the boat tomorrow. I will decide in that moment if I want to dive. And if I dive, I will decide while I am diving if I like it. And if I don’t like it, I don’t have to do it. And with that, I fell asleep.
Tuesday’s boat trip took us diving in water to 30 feet. We met at the dock (very close to where we were staying) after lunch. I felt a bit nervous, but I was ready for the adventure and comfortable that I could call it quits any time that I wanted. I completed the first dive. We saw several types of fish and plant life. The colors seemed muted, like they had been bleached out. And each scene seemed a bit like the last. And I started to shiver. During the second dive, I was feeling unimpressed, cold, and bored. I really had no desire to be cold and underwater. I enjoy being in the sun. I considered, “would I ever want to do this again?” “No,” I answered myself, “I would want to be in the sun waiting for the divers.” So, I signaled and ascended, slowly of course, to the boat to be in the sun. I was 2 minutes and 1 “test” (removing my mask and replacing it) from getting my certification. And I felt proud of myself for making the decision that would best make me happy. The kids finished their certifications.
3/19, Dr. Sones – Affirmation: I am grateful for the strength my father gave me.