I am scared of the ocean, well it’s more of a healthy respect I would say and, as we all do, I learned the hard way.
I had been to the ocean before, but the ocean on the coasts of Canada is nothing like the ocean on the coast of Australia. The bathtub warm water in surfers’ paradise Byron Bay doesn’t seem scary, though the locals warned us that there were sharks.
But I quickly learned to dive through the waves instead of letting them carry me to shore. I swear I almost drowned a few times when they tossed me head over heels and I didn’t know which way was up. I didn’t think it was possible to drown in six inches of water, but it would be at that beach.
Blame my prairie upbringing for that one.
Basically I know water can hurt me and I am going to be cautious when swimming and wear a life jacket when boating.
But it’s not just a fear of the ocean, it is more a respect for all water, especially now with all of the forest fires burning.
Though I wasn’t happy with all the rain in the winter, I am now hoping for at least three days of rain.
Preferably gentle to start so that nothing floods and, as the ground rehydrates, a little bit harder, all across the province to help put out those fires and get rid of the fire ban here.
I also can’t come to terms with everyone watering their lawn. Gardens yes, keep those beauties thriving, but the front lawn? How many people actually sit on their front lawn? Or use it for anything really? I’d say most of the time it is nothing but an ornament. Do we really need to use our precious water on it?
I feel that after the winter we had, we shouldn’t have any water restrictions, but we do. I know it has to do with water pressure in the system or something and not necessarily the amount of water we have access to but it still worries me. I’ve been to California in the winter and driven past the dry river channels, let’s not make that happen here!
Anyway, back to my fear of water. It’s kind of silly. I love swimming in the lake. My friend told someone who I hadn’t met yet that I was basically a mermaid.
But drowning is a real risk, and not just drowning, but being hit by a boat and attacked my a sea creature.
Under the water is just as wild as the forest in the middle of nowhere, and should be treated with the same amount of caution, in my opinion.
Have you ever heard of dry and secondary drowning? In dry drowning water entering the airway can cause it to spasm and close up. In secondary drowning a little bit of water in the lungs causes inflammation or swelling and makes it impossible to breath.
See, even when we are out of the water we need to be cautious.