62. Swimming Lessons in Nyack and the Shift
There was a time in my life when all four of my children were signed up for swimming lessons at the YMCA in Nyack, NY. We lived in Pomona which was about thirty minutes away. The children ages were roughly 4, 7, 8, and 10 and of course they were not all in the same class. One year it ended up that I drove to Nyack four days a week.
There were times when I did not do it happily—usually about the fourth day. And it was in this period of time that I learned to shift. I can clearly remember one afternoon driving along the Palisades Parkway and grumbling to myself and perhaps fussing a little to the kids, when suddenly I thought: “You know, you are not going to cancel anyone’s lessons. So you can either do this grumpily or you can shift and make it fun.” And that particular afternoon I shifted.
And many afternoons after that, if I started the grumble, I shifted. It was fun. And it was a good skill to learn.
