I've been on the diving
board.
I now know better what it
is like - I remember. Do you remember when you were a child and the 1-meter board was quite high
or the water was quite deep or there was just some fear of jumping off?
Sometimes it was easier if
someone was in the water to catch you - to make sure that 'should something go
wrong, I'll be ok as I have Dad in the water'. And sometimes it was easier if a friend pushed you off of the
board because you were able to complete the task at hand - namely leaving the
board.
Recently, I've been on that board - I
know what it is like to be paralyzed with - not fear exactly - but let's call
them "what-ifs".
And here is what I
discovered - with a little bit of work, I can overcome the What-Ifs.
If in my mind's eye I jump off of the board over and over again:
Three and half paces from the end is where I start, left foot starts, then right, left again - right foot pushes the board down while the left knee rises, both feet come down simultaneously, board pushes me back up and off, convert the upward momentum to a tuck, see the world go around in three half-turns - pool, sky, there it is pool again, shoot out of the tuck, feet together, point toes, enter water.
But it doesn't end there. Eyes closed, right arm out, bend at the waist, underwater flip as the arm gently touches the bottom, push off, up and toward the ladder, head above water. Breathe. Pftthhht.
With this, I achieve not only perfection, but
courage, self-knowledge, and a wholeness that cannot be easily described. And I do this before I get anywhere
near the pool, the water, or the board.
My mind pushes through the fear of the board - afterall, the board is
not the real source of the fear - it is what follows just after leaving the
board.
I change the leaving the board to my decision - no one to catch me, no one to push me. I leave the board and head toward the water because it is my will.
And my mind makes that ok.