MERMAIDS AND MERMEN

It would be such a delight to summon a Genie by rubbing a Magic Lamp like Alladin;😄 or get lost in a forest like the siblings Hansel and Gretel and be found in a house made out of candy, cakes and biscuits;😋 or aroused out of a deep slumber by his true love's kiss, by Prince Charming like he did to the Sleeping Beauty.😍 From times yore Fairy Tales have been a part of a child's growing up. Be it in the rural area as folk tales or the urban areas as fairy tales, children enjoy listening to a fascinating good story. The Fairy Tale that captivated me was 'The Little Mermaid'. I fantasized how wonderful it would be to dive into the deep sea like the beautiful Mermaid with the aquatic creatures; touch down at the abyss; explore the centuries old sunken ships and extract treasures from them; pluck pearls from the oysters; and finally, befriend the savage sharks and the gigantic blue whales. 

Some proclaim that the Mermaids and Mermen are a fragment of a layman's fantasy, others declare them to be a part of the ecological system, living in a world of their own. I, wouldn't vouch for either of them. But would confidently announce that I have seen men and women swim as beautifully as Mermaids and Mermen. Human Beings, being the land dwellers have managed to learn the skill of swimming. Humans swimming dates back to the prehistorical times. There have been records of paintings of people swimming back then. If many of the species on earth manage to swim to keep themselves alive and hunt for food, humans normally swim for recreation, sport, exercise or survival.

"Are you getting married?" was a question that was bluntly shot at me by my swimming coach on my first day at the pool. I let out a staggering "No..." My coach later revealed to me that women of my age befriended the swimming pool to knock out the excessive weight from their chubby body when their wedding day was to approach, and she assumed that I fell into their category. As I had no such funny intentions, I let her know that my purpose was to learn to SWIM. With a sense of amusement I wondered if people really lost weight at the pool as I looked on my sweet, humble and amiable coach swim away gracefully with her bulging tummy. 😆

I was quite aware of the fact that Swimming is an excellent form of aerobic exercise. Since the human body is slightly less dense than water; water supports the weight of the body during Swimming. Hence Swimming is believed to reduce the harmful effects of stress when compared to the land activities such as running. Due to the constant supply of oxygen to the body while Swimming, it improves ones physical health. Not only that, it also improves ones mood. I would look at Swimming, more as a form of meditation, as the swimmer cannot afford to entertain thoughts while swimming. In my experience I would at the most count my strokes and if I let in any other thought, I would find myself sinking. 

The women's swimming batch was an interesting one. We were a group which included college students; and working women which had very young and middle aged women. It was a sight to behold on how some of the college students got into the pool with the make up on. I wondered if there were any Mermen in the pool waiting to catch a glimpse of their make up decked face. But the only men at the pool were the male coach who were all married, middle aged, national level champions and I considered them to be a good match to the Mermen in their swimming skills. They were all at a distance who kept a hawks eye on the pool for safety reasons, while the women coach trained the women and children. Oh! Yes! We had the children's batch along with the women's batch.

Some women would get into the pool along with their children to teach them to swim or to learn how to swim. While we were being taught the four different swimming strokes, namely, the free style, back stroke, breast stroke and butterfly stroke along with many other swimming techniques; every now and then we would catch a glimpse of either a frog, crab and little mermaids and mermen. No, don't get me wrong! I was referring to some of the children in the pool when they swam, resembled these beautiful creatures. Children as young as four years old while practicing breast stroke would resemble Little Frogs. I would watch them with an awe, as how confidently and fearlessly they would swim. There were slightly older children who would dive into the waters as if it were a safety net, some others swam like as if the waters in the pool were their friends, just like the Little Mermaids and Mermen. How bravely they would dive from the ten feet high landing board into the sixteen feet waters and quickly swim their way to their goal. It surely was an enviable sight for us adults who were just beginners. We would withdraw like a clam from going to the six feet deep waters, and thinking about diving into the sixteen feet area was as scary as diving into a hungry shark's mouth.

We beginners had finally managed to move out of our safe zone and swim into the twelve and sixteen feet deep waters. But we had no clue what we would encounter there. We were warned to be vigilant in the deep waters. One little swimmer who happened to be an expert at swimming, for if his swimming path was obstructed, the one obstructing would be avenged. The little swimmer would dive deeper into the water and from underneath would pinch the thigh of the obstructor like a Crab. Ouch! I am sure quite a number of people must have got pinched by this little Crab and I am glad they all got out of the pool alive. If one panics due to the unexpected pinch, he is sure to reach the bottom of the pool in no time. How atrocious could be the Deadly Pinch. Hence at times children can turn out to be a real terror at the pool. 

The fattest girl in our batch looked as serious and majestic as a Blue Whale. But when it came to her swimming skills she was as agile as a Dolphin. Did you know it is a fact that fat people float easily in water?😃 She being an expert swimmer would mostly swim in the deep waters. I had managed to befriend most of the women in my batch, except the Blue Whale. She gave me an impression of being snobbish, serious and withdrawn. I later realised that she was taking her time to become friends with me. Once we were friends, I realised that she was a warm hearted person. She not only swam like a Dolphin but was friendly as one. The ones who were actually close to me at the pool never kept in touch with me once I gave up swimming, but the dolphin did for quite some time. Many a times in life people tend to become very judgmental about others and so was I. We need to realise that looks can be deceiving and never to judge the book by its bind.

I was looking forward to swim like the Mermaids, but it was time for me to bid good bye to the pool as I had other priorities in life seeking my attention. I had learnt to keep myself alive in the deep waters; had got tanned beautifully due to the chlorine in the water; and had managed to befriend a Dolphin.😊 I laughed at my thoughts, "I have been torturing myself, I better give up!" which swam in and out of my mind during the first week of my swimming class. I had consumed enough of the chlorine tainted water; had got the free style stroke all wrong; my body would stiffen out of fright in the deep waters, when I had to actually relax; I had dived into the pool the wrong way a couple of times; and one evening I thought I might go down in the sixteen feet waters. Sigh!😢 I had even started to dread the sight of the pool. I was afraid that I might be soon struck by hydrophobia.😱 I wondered what I was thinking when I had decided to learn to swim. As it was a decision that I had taken up for myself, I had to deliberately quit the thought of 'giving up'. I kept my spirit of adventure burning and took a plunge. The following week I witnessed miracles at the pool. I had started getting my swimming strokes and dive correct; I found myself dive and swim in the twelve and sixteen feet deep waters fearlessly; and all the interesting experiences that I have already narrated followed eventually.😊

If I had given into fear the first week, sadly I would have never learnt to keep myself alive even in the shallow waters, leave alone the deep waters. My first week's struggle at the pool paid off really well. Probably the struggle was much needed. So is the case with our life. At times we might find ourselves in deep waters; sharks gnawing at us; the crabs clawing; and would have lost all strength to swim in the tide of life. We need to realise that these are the experiences that makes one strong. These are the experiences that grooms one to be the best of himself. Likewise it is not easy for a human being to adopt the swimming skills of Mermaids and Mermen. It surely needs perseverance, commitment, hard work and patience. If you want to posses the swimming skills and emerge as a Mermaid or Mermen, then don't wait. Go for it!

Keep the spirit of adventure alive within you! 😊