Not 20 Anymore

I have been fairly beaten up for the last two nights, and I'm starting to learn something about the physical limitations of a 41 year old body...

I had promised to take Meredith and Natalie to the Beach Waterpark Wednesday night. However, after the massive rain we had Tuesday and the fact that it was overcast and cool for much of the day Wednesday, we decided to postpone making the 30 minute drive up to Mason. We didn't want to go all that way, pay all of that money for admission to the park, only to have it rain at worst or, at best, be too cool to really enjoy the day.

Natalie, though, was heartbroken, and I promised to take her to the local swim club after dinner Wednesday night. "Will you get in with me?" she asked with those kitten eyes of hers.

"If none of your friends are there I will," I told her, hoping that one of Natalie's friends would have braved the overcast day to come to the pool.

I knew immediately upon walking into the pool that was not going to be the case. Not only were there none of Natalie's friends at the pool. There was literally NO ONE at the pool except for the workers. The lifeguard, in fact, had to come out of the office when we arrived and go down and stand at the side of the pool. We were the only ones there.

"Okay," I told Natalie. "I'm going to sit here and relax. You go on and get in, swim around, and see if any of your friends are here."

She just smiled. "You promised, Daddy!" she said sweetly.

And a promise is a promise. So I got in with her, and for an hour I did whatever she wanted. And what she wanted to do was go off of the diving boards. Even when I was swimming with the kids I usually could get out of going off the diving boards by saying, truthfully, that I didn't want to be an adult in line with a bunch of kids who was making the kids wait an extra turn. But when it was just Natalie and myself I didn't have that excuse. We went off the 3 meter diving board 20 or so times that night, and after the 18th or so dive I told Natalie, "Okay, I'm starting to feel a little pummeled by the water. I think I'm done for the night."

Natalie said, "No, Daddy. Go off two more times. Please!"

So I did. But I came home knowing I was going to be a little sore yesterday morning, and I was.

And then last night the girls and I DID go to the Beach Waterpark, and I learned that water parks are dangerous for someone my age. On one ride in particular, The Watusi, I really hurt myself. The ride is a big enclosed tube that you shoot down. The water rushes through the tube quicker and more forcefully than in most of the other rides at the water park. After several turns the bottom drops out of the ride and you fall about 10 feet into the water below. At one point during the ride water splashed in my eyes and I decided to close them for the rest of the ride, which left me unprepared for a sudden twist in the tube. I basically got whiplash, and right at the point that I felt the pain the bottom dropped out and I was unceremoniously dumped into the water below. I came out of the water telling the girls, "That one really hurt my neck," and today I can still feel it.

The girls are just about old enough to go on these rides alone, and I think the next time we go I may have them do just that.