Member-only story
The Knack And How to Get It
…I came upon two young girls, one about eight, one older, maybe eleven, the oldest clearly a more experienced swimmer, taunting the younger one to swim further out.
If you don’t do it, she said, you’re a BABY.
I treaded water for a moment and looked for the parents. They were deep in conversation, in their beach chairs; some of them texting. Perhaps they had forgotten their girls were in rough water and the ocean is a trickster. I often see parents scrolling their phones with children in the ocean.
C’mon, the older girl said again to the young girl — don’t be a BABY.
…She was already treading water and having trouble with the current, and she was alternating looking back at her parents who were not looking at her, then toward the older girl, pulling her deeper into the ocean with a repetitive taunt.
I swam closer to the young one.
Hey, I said, you don’t have to listen to her. You know what courage really is? It’s knowing when to listen to your body and your intuition. She looked at me, treading, treading.
Are you ready for the deeper water?
She shook her head no.
If you turn around and swim back to shore, you won’t be a baby, you’ll be smart. If you ignore her- that’s real courage…
