Ballerinas

I’ve always wanted to be a ballerina. They’re beautiful, graceful, strong, controlled, and driven. And they get to twirl around in tutus. I was a swimmer. I was on swim team for about 8 years and loved it. The early morning practices, wearing the same team swimsuit as everyone else, the initial painful dive into the frigid water and that first breath of bitter air after emerging from the water... It doesn’t sound so attractive in a list like that, but it was a wonderful experience! I learned about dedication, being on a team, having a positive attitude, respecting leadership, losing graciously, and winning humbly.

I have a lovely little pile of trophies, ribbons, and paper plate awards. My favorite were the paper plate awards. Paper plate awards were given out by the coaches at the end of the season. They were ordinary paper plates with a phrase written on them. It was a way for the coaches to remember the funny things that had happened throughout the season.

My paper plate awards included... Tripping and falling into the pool with my blanket, refusing to get in the pool one morning before coloring with the coach (I was 6 at the time), slicing my foot open as I dove into the pool and then getting upset when I was told I was done with practice for a few days, refusing to eat the gummy worms* given to me as a reward for getting first place in a race (I was 7 at the time), and asking if the water was going to be wet (I was 5 at the time).

During my sophomore year in high school, I traded my swim cap and goggles for a guitar. Picking up a guitar opened a wonderful new world for me. But back to wanting to be a ballerina, it’s not that swimmers and musicians can’t be beautiful, strong, and graceful... It’s just different.

Or maybe I really just wanted the tutu.


*Worms are too much like snakes and I was (and still am) scared of snakes. Therefore, gummy worms are considered gross and creepy in my world.