Do you feel the call of a siren out at sea? Have you ever wondered if you’re really a mermaid?
I often have these thoughts. Since I was a small child, I was attracted to water like a fish. My mom tells me that I would kick and scream if we didn’t stop at the water crossing the road when it would flash flood in the desert. When I was 3 years old, we had a flash flood that destroyed our home. Although I remember everyone around me being devastated, I never felt scared when it was happening. I was told the water got as high as my shoulders before my mom could scoop me up and whisk me and my sister out of the house. I probably imagined that I’d just swim if I had to!
After that, we moved a little closer to town yet still out in the desert. My dad built us an in-ground swimming pool, complete with a rock border and rock mermaid fountain. I would often sit on the lip of the fountain and feel the cool water washing over me. My sister and I would swim every day, all summer long. With blue lips and a trembling body, my mom would plead with me to come inside but I always insisted that I was just fine. I wanted to live in that water forever.
Since those years as a small girl, I have often sought after places to swim – lakes, rivers, pools, hot tubs. Saltwater swimming pools are my favorite. I always dreamed of living on water and feel over-the-moon-lucky to live lakefront so close to the Oregon coast. Actually, when I think about it, I realize that I’m luckier than a mermaid – I get to hike on land and enjoy trees, butterflies, and wildlife as well as submerge myself into the lake or the ocean for a swim. The ability to swim AND walk is the best of both worlds and I wouldn’t change it for anything!
How about you? Have you always dreamed of being a mermaid?
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