The BELT

She couldn’t swim.

Actually, my mom, when she was alive, had for most of her 87 years. The woman was probably part fish and loved the water more than life itself.

When she reached the point where she had to use a walker and struggled getting up and down, she was told by a few of her doctors—two of them neurologists—that she couldn’t swim. This had been one of the most difficult things for her because of the rejuvenating quality water had on her.

My pool called out to her.

When she came to live with me after some time with my brother, I was determined to get her swimming again. I never forgot what the doctors told her. And the last thing I wanted was for some other injury to befall her when tremors shook her head and limbs constantly, and her brain wreaked havoc with her nervous system and balance.

Enter the swim belt.

This swim aid was guaranteed to keep the user afloat up to so many pounds. Once I got it on her, I discovered that her form was as good as always. Her strokes were natural, and it was almost like no time had past. The swim belt was a must. It was how I kept her feeling independent, and afloat, giving me the peace of mind that for whatever reason, she wasn’t going to sink.

One day, she was waiting for me to get in the water, and oh, I’d had a number of things I’d forgotten—towels, my phone, my mind, before jumping in and swimming to the other side to catch her. So, I rushed to the pool, and she began her laps. (She swam 20 everyday, 7 days a week) After about lap 5, I heard my phone, realizing it was probably my brother calling, and when I looked over I saw that her swim belt was sitting on the table.

Two things occurred to me at the same time:

1. She could’ve sunk, and this could’ve been a very traumatic event for her.

2. She was swimming!

And she probably had been all along & didn’t or no longer needed that belt. I laughed so hard, with tears in my eyes, that she’d actually been swimming without it—despite the doctor’s warning!

The pride I felt that day was unimaginable—getting my mom swimming again, I feel is the biggest accomplishment in my life.

Turns out the swim belt was probably never needed. But it made me/us feel it would keep her safe, afloat, that it would be minimally invasive when it came to her strokes.

Funny how we have things in our lives that we use, like a security blanket, and then discover how all we needed was the confidence to see it through. And the satisfaction of doing the thing without the assurance of failing. But, there are no guarantees. Sometimes we don’t have the luxury of a swim belt or a security blanket. But we put ourselves out there anyway and try our best. Sink or swim.

Sometimes we have to flail just a bit before we gain our footing. This reminds me of my own venture, and as I go through this process of editing and formatting and marketing. I am a fish out of water.

It doesn’t stop me from trying.

I hope my 87-year-old mom’s story inspires you because she sure didn’t let silly things like gravity, imbalance, a lack of spatial awareness, and her knees randomly buckling keep her from being the mermaid that she was.

My dad didn’t see the age of 90 as being too old to ride a bike for 20 miles at a time.

So, what can we learn from these old people?

It’s never too late to go after what we want.

We all have one life to live. Make the time to do what lights you up. BE that person. DO that thing. Give your kids a proud story to tell about you.

In honor of my mom, I am releasing my book on her birthday, July 24th. This is so exciting to have finally gotten to this point.

It is available on Amazon and Kindle ebook version here >>>https://a.co/d/hEu5Scw

Sending you love and light!

Annie Marie