This is going to somewhat be a how-to, because you are going to learn some valuable lessons from this story.
When I was six, one lovely, sun filled summer, I was staying at my family’s cabin. We had some sweet connections to some people with a boat, tubes and water skis. Now, by age six I had mastered the art of sitting in a tube and gliding across the water. I had not yet tried skiing. It couldn’t be that hard though really, you just stand and the boat pulls you.
So I mustered up the courage to go for it. Everyone around me were practically water skiing geniuses, so I took their advice to heart and prepared myself for greatness. Some of their tips were : “bend your knees a little”, “HOLD ON TIGHT”, “lean back when the boat starts going” and also, “HOLD ON TIGHT”. My tiny brain really held onto the whole hold on tight thing.
And so there I was, standing in the water. With gigantic slabs stuck to my feet. Holding onto a bar that connected me to a death machine. I was not excited anymore. But before I knew it, the boat roared to a start, and I was off the the races. I began like an all star, for about 8 seconds. Then I fell. And I held on tight. And I kept holding on tight. Because I was good at following directions. No one had told me to let go if I fell, so I didn’t. (Now is a good time to mention that you shouldn’t allow anyone to film your first experience with something like water skiing.) I assure you, it wasn’t painful, it was kind of fun, and I don’t remember if I let go by choice, or if the handle thing was yanked from my hands by some mystical water force. When I returned ashore, everyone commended me for my valiant attempt to master the lake, but it wasn’t enough to convince me to get back on those god-forsaken skis.
I never tried water skiing again.
When I was six, one lovely, sun filled summer, I was staying at my family’s cabin. We had some sweet connections to some people with a boat, tubes and water skis. Now, by age six I had mastered the art of sitting in a tube and gliding across the water. I had not yet tried skiing. It couldn’t be that hard though really, you just stand and the boat pulls you.
So I mustered up the courage to go for it. Everyone around me were practically water skiing geniuses, so I took their advice to heart and prepared myself for greatness. Some of their tips were : “bend your knees a little”, “HOLD ON TIGHT”, “lean back when the boat starts going” and also, “HOLD ON TIGHT”. My tiny brain really held onto the whole hold on tight thing.
And so there I was, standing in the water. With gigantic slabs stuck to my feet. Holding onto a bar that connected me to a death machine. I was not excited anymore. But before I knew it, the boat roared to a start, and I was off the the races. I began like an all star, for about 8 seconds. Then I fell. And I held on tight. And I kept holding on tight. Because I was good at following directions. No one had told me to let go if I fell, so I didn’t. (Now is a good time to mention that you shouldn’t allow anyone to film your first experience with something like water skiing.) I assure you, it wasn’t painful, it was kind of fun, and I don’t remember if I let go by choice, or if the handle thing was yanked from my hands by some mystical water force. When I returned ashore, everyone commended me for my valiant attempt to master the lake, but it wasn’t enough to convince me to get back on those god-forsaken skis.
I never tried water skiing again.
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