Have you ever gone to a new place or tried a new experience and thought to yourself, “I’m never doing THAT again!” Tell us about it.
Photographers, artists, poets: show us NEVER.
“WAITING FOR MAGIC TO HAPPEN”
How, and why, I made this unwise decision, is still a mystery. Maybe, it was the setting–Xel-Ha Ecological Water Park in Mexico? It was my first visit south of the border. The beautiful crystal-clear water, gently flowed to the sea surrounded by tropical flora and fauna.
At any rate, my spouse wanted to go snorkeling. My preference was lazily floating down the river in inner tubes lashed together. I should mention, that, I’m not a swimmer. Proper equipment was secured and I proudly “galoomphed,” (walked with exaggerated steps, because of the swim fins), down the dock. “Don’t forget to smear spit on the inside of your mask,” My wife advised. It sounded gross, but I did it anyway.
I stepped off into the water, stayed afloat because of the life jacket. My head was submerged, with just the snorkel tube above the water. “Remember to breathe through your mouth,” Said a muffled voice. Too many new experiences, happened too quickly. My mask was fogged up–I couldn’t see a thing. Salt water came in through my breathing tube–that wasn’t supposed to happen. I couldn’t touch the bottom. Now, I was just a living piece of driftwood floating with the current.
Somehow, I expected to propel myself through the water with ease, just like in my dreams. It didn’t happen that way in real life. I panicked, flailed in the water, and someway, somehow, got back to the dock. That wasn’t going to be the day, I drowned, while on vacation in Mexico. I pulled off the life jacket, mask, and fins–returned them to the rental counter. My wife claimed I was gasping for air and was, “white as a sheet.”
Snorkeling is something I never plan to try again. …At least, not without taking swimming and snorkeling lessons first. I still don’t like to talk about my embarrassing experience. That’s the difference between me and my wife–she immensely enjoys relating this story–to my chagrin.
itinerantneerdowell 