This Old Dog

It’s not true what they say about dogs.  You can teach an old dog new tricks.  I am living proof of that.  This old dog has learned that it’s never too late to become who you want to be.

            It was the hottest day of the summer and I was on my way to pick up my five-year old granddaughter when I thought, “What a great day for the water park!!”  She flipped out when I told her what we had in store for our day.  Her excitement was contagious and we both couldn’t wait for our day to begin.  And begin it did.

            You see, at a water park, the attire is swimsuits.  Everyone wears them.  You can’t get around it.  As a mother, I couldn’t be caught dead in a swimsuit because I weighed about 130 lbs. more than all the other mothers.   My idea of taking my kids anywhere would have meant having my husband take them and I would wait on the bench, fully clothed, watching them have fun.  But there I was, on the hottest summer day, wearing nothing but a swimsuit and flip flops for all the world to see.

            After we put all our items in the rented locker, my granddaughter and I set out for adventure.  The very first slide she saw was the mother of all slides.  It was called the Half Pike.  The platform was about six stories tall and in order to get on your raft you had to stand on a narrow platform and wait for the lifeguard to send you sailing.

            Eager to please my granddaughter, we grabbed a two-person raft and started our assent up the steps to the top.  As I got closer and closer I realized I just couldn’t do it.  

Did I ever mention to my sweet little granddaughter that Grandma is deathly afraid of heights?  I don’t even climb on chairs. 

            Once at the top, I tried to persuade my granddaughter to go by herself.  I switched our two-person raft and tried to give her a one-person raft.  It’s not that she wouldn’t go by herself.   The problem was that she wanted me to enjoy it with her.  “It will be so much fun”, she tried to explain.  But I felt myself literally getting sick.

            Well, you know what this old dog did?  I caved in.  We got on that narrow platform.  We got into the two-person raft; although, I made my granddaughter get in the front.  We waited for the lifeguard to push us over.  We went sailing through the half-pike, laughing all the way.  It was exhilarating.  It was thrilling.  But mostly, it became a cherished memory for both my granddaughter and me. 

            I believe that one moment of getting on that raft turned the day at the water park into one of the best days of my life.  I had conquered my fears.  I was on the other side of the fence.  I was no longer the fat lady, fully clothed, watching her kids have fun.  I became part of the fun.   I believe this old dog has learned some new tricks.  Swimsuit and all.