He goes to the board

Yesterday Ryan passed Level I in swim and will start Level II next Tuesday. The culmination of the efforts of the seems to be jumping of the diving board by themselves. The majority of his class will go off the board if one of the instructors lifts them into the water. Ryan is in the majority. I hold my breath each time he goes to the end of the board and watch him ponder how far the water is, how deep he'll go and the age old question, will he hold his breath long enough to re-surface. It takes no small amount of willpower not to go to him and coach him in, but I remember this is his experience and he'll be the richer for it if he does it himself. He's gaining skill, he moves his arms and is starting to kick. It's a testament to his bravery and his trust in his instructors that he gets in the water at all. He knows he'll sink like a stone. For now he at least goes up on the board, looks down and ponders.