Sink or swim?

Today, because I had no other means of getting home, I joined my mum and my five year old brother at his swimming class. The pool is privately owned by a friend of his, so it's just them in the pool in these sessions. I watched him get in the pool, anticipating him taking off and steaming to the end. However, as his friend powered up and down the pool, I was disappointed to see my brother flailing and spluttering numerous times.

It was surprising how much it bothered me that he simply wasn't as good as his friend. Me and my sister have always been avid swimmers since we both learned; I couldn't seem to understand why he wasn't as good as I thought he would be automatically, not realising that I was in fact older than him when I learned and, most probably, took longer than he did.

It wasn't until the session was nearly over and I was hunched over on the floor that this struck me, as they played a particular 'game'. The instructor brought out two diamond shaped rubber toys, which, when she pressed a button on the top, flashed for about a minute. The aim was that she threw them and the boys had to swim down, get them and bring them back to the steps. I didn't have high hopes for him as she threw them both a decent way away, setting his friend off first, who retrieved it and brought it back like a fish. My brother watched them; occasionally glancing to me and my mum, then went to get his. As he had before, he got about half way, swimming beneath the water, and then returned to the surface, spluttering for air. The instructor held him up by his arms, telling him firmly not to touch the bottom of the pool with his feet, otherwise there was no point to the exercise, then asked him if he wanted to swim down and get it. After my earlier disappointment, I hadn't expected him to effect me in the way he did when he looked down and said, with such dejection:

"It isn't flashing anymore..."

His instructor told him it was because he'd been 'too slow', then hurried him back to the steps to start another 'game'. I was angry at how she seemed to brush him off, but realised it was all part of a process of learning; obviously I'm not a swimming teacher.
Although I thought I already did, I want to fully accept that if he isn't good at swimming right now then so be it, he'll get better; there are things we can and can't change, but we can change how we react to them.

In the meantime...

While sitting here, not really sure what to do with myself, or this space, I've decided to upload something that I find equally inspiring.
These few photos are the more editorial shots from a wedding that me and my dad photographed together for our neighbor's son and his wife, they were tight on money and, as always my mum volunteered me for it. However, I'm glad I did; it was a unique and exciting learning experience for me, giving me new photos to show, one or two grateful hugs and a few more invitations to shoot for other people. I also had the privilage of working with probably the most adorable and well mannered children that you could ever meet, not fussing once when I asked for a photo.