You Can Get in the Pool

Today after Bryana and I finished a workout, we sat outside with our feet in the pool for a little bit (I’m still at my parents’ house enjoying the luxury having a pool steps away from the “gym” here). Eventually I jumped all the way in and was wading around in the water while Bryana was still sitting on the stairs, and that’s when she said she wished she could get in like that. The thing holding her back was that she was still in her gym clothes and not a proper bathing suit. Now, she didn’t let that hold her back for very long and she just got all the way in the pool, but it got me thinking for a second.

Many people, myself included, spend a lot of time waiting for the right situation or we let ourselves be deterred by minor inconveniences. If not every single thing is perfect, that’s enough reason for us not to do it. That kind of thinking gets us nowhere. I’m not the type to rule anything out, but it’s highly unlikely that anything will ever be perfect, and the older I get the less likely it gets that I’ll ever be totally prepared for any endeavor I begin. In fact, it’s probably impossible to know everything about something before you start that thing. That’s the point of going on the journey. To learn! We went to a concert a few months ago where we saw Theo Katzman, and I’ve mentioned this show before on this blog, but he said a couple things that really resonated with me that night. The sentiment I’m referring to now was this; you may not begin a journey brave, but you become brave by facing the obstacles of which you are afraid.

My point is, don’t let fear hold you back. You can get in the pool.

-J.P.