Lesson Ten- Treading Water Is A Necessity

I am desperately seeking time, but it seems to elude me at every turn. While the days are longer, no time has been added to help me out. But that is life, so my mother reminds me- often.

The warmth of the days,the longer hours of sunlight shed light on things that did not get the proper attention during the colder months. Those things, end of the year exams, multiple stacks of essays, and the responsibility of being the child of an aging parent require a great deal of my attention. So time that I would have devoted to the Digital Writing class and other activities has had to be shifted elsewhere. Knowing all that I have to get done, with the class, work, care-giving, etc., I have found myself not resting at night. I plan the next day, minutes, seconds, hours, in my so called sleep, and I "wake" in the morning feeling as if I have been run over by a Mac truck.

After church this morning, my aunt made a comment about how tired I looked. I smiled and responded with a wave and said something about the water getting a little deep this time of year. Without a breath or blink, she said, "Well, you didn't take life guard lesson for nothing. Do I need to remind you what you learned? You need to tread water and work your way to the shallow end of the pool. Let some of us help you with the things we can, and what we can't, we will be there to support you."

After I recovered from my amazement- for my aunt has never been so quick with a response- she and I sat down and worked out a schedule and a plan. As we did, I imagined my arms going around in circles, my feet kicking back and forth- not in a tantrum this time, and my body propelling a little toward the shallow end.

My aunt never learned to swim and is deathly afraid of the water. But today, she dived in head first and saved me from drowning. I am blessed.