A bit of background

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 I probably should have created this post at the beginning of the blog, but now is as good of time as any.  I grew up in a small town in Ohio and where my Dad worked, the company owned a park that had a pool, along with other recreation options.  I went there every Saturday for swim lessons and got tired of not getting my turn to swim, so when they said it was my turn, I swam underwater the entire length of the pool turned the corner into the diving area to get my breath.  The had difficulty finding me and from then on they called me fish.  

I did compete and win a trophy for swimming across the pool when I was like 8, but I also somehow didn't actually have any competitors so it wasn't a big deal.  When I was in high school, I joined the summer swim team at the local YMCA and even though I enjoyed it and got my picture in the paper for my fantastic back stroke, I wasn't really a fan of the clickiness of the group that was suppose to be a team.  

So Twenty so years later, I saw an ad in the news paper for a swim instructor and it said they would train you.  I really liked swimming and thought this would be a great opportunity to have some fun and get paid for it.  Also, I was a stepmom and figured if I could handle kids a half an hour at a time maybe I could gains the virtue of patience and be able to handle a child in my home.  

Turns out I really liked the job and wanted to work more but not submerged in chlorine as I reeked of it every time I left.  So, my boss at the time mentioned water fitness, and I gave her a look she apparently recognized, and then suggested I take as many classes as I can over the next session and see what I thought afterwards.  After 8 weeks of taking two to three classes three days a week, I didn't really loose weight, maybe a pound or two.  But what I did notice is that my arms had more flexibility behind my back, my waist size had shrunk and I had more energy.  I positively loved it and enjoyed hanging out with a great group of adults.  

So, I got certified to teach and then certified by the arthritis foundation to teach arthritis classes.  Every where I moved (Kentucky, Florida, and back to Ohio) I continue to find employment to be able to teach water fitness and help out with swim.


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