Learning to Water Ski – In My Dreams (Part 1) here

Learning to Water Ski – In My Dreams (Part 2) here

I followed the water ski ritual of the day before – this time seeing a few smirks on faces and hearing (or imagining I heard) some tiny snickers behind hands cupped over mouths.

But I’m kind of like a bull dog sometimes – I get hold of something and won’t let go. I was resolute that I would accomplish this task – no matter what my fellow lake buddies believed.

The boat began to move slowly and pull me forward. I struggled to remember the instructions and to ignore the voices in my head babbling about what a fool I was.

I concentrated on everything that I had been told. I knew I could do it – and my excitement grew by the second.

As the boat went faster, I saw my cronies in the boat motioning for me to stand up (not very enthusiastically or expectantly this time – or so it appeared to me).

I focused on what I had learned from my dreams – The day before, I had tried to lift myself to a standing position with my upper body instead of pushing my feet down to get to a standing position. I was sure that this was the problem – and the solution.  Simple – right? Duh!

I pushed my feet down –

I felt my body respond and release itself from the all-too-familiar crouch position –

A mighty force flowed through my legs, my torso, my arms, into my face (where a bug splattered onto my teeth because I forgot the first rule of water skiing – keep your mouth closed!) –

And I popped up on top of the water ———

I was standing!  I was skiing!  I had done it!  And – WOW! What an amazing, awesome, spectacular, breathtaking, powerful experience!

I don’t know if the experience would have been as memorable if I had accomplished my goal the first time I tried.  Probably not.  (Failure seems to cut deeper grooves into the tissue of the brain.)  I do know that the achievement was monumentally sweet – especially because of the disgrace of the day before.

For the rest of the day – and the rest of the summer – I enjoyed the freedom and exhilaration of flying through the water. No more crouching, no more smirks, no more snickering – and no more lake douche!

I had learned to water ski – in my dreams.