Why Can't I Swim?

I love the element of water. I can sit and stare at the ocean for hours. It puts me at peace and now, it's almost a requirement that I live at least within walking distance from the beach. A beautiful inground pool is literally steps from my living room door...the Caribbean Sea, just six blocks away.

But, I can't swim.

I don't even remember growing up seeing anyone in my immediate family swim. My mother didn't swim. I remember her retelling the story of how her younger brother was drowned in a swimming hole by some jealous white boys, although he could swim like a fish. Had she deflected her subconscious fears about the water on me? Not sure, but I doubt it. An old boyfriend playfully throwing me into a swimming pool and nearly drowning, would've had more of a traumatic effect on my psyche. People seem surprised when I confess that I don't swim. I look pretty doggone good standing in front of it in my bikini. I'm not actually afraid of getting in the water, either. I'm good, as long as I don't get shoulder deep...Or it gets in my face.

For years, I was convinced that I'd figured out why all these years I hadn't learned to swim, despite the yearly pledge I make to do so. One of my past lives was the culprit keeping me from really living up to my birth sign. Yep. In a past life I drowned. That had to be the reason that I can't even stick my face in a bowl of water, right? I even thought about past-life regression to confirm my suspicions. Nothing else really made sense. It's not like I hadn't tried to let people who offered to teach me, step up and fail. Maybe that's the real problem and not a past-life trauma. Say no to eager volunteers, and yes to a certified professional. If that doesn't work, hypnosis is still on the table.