If you mistakenly go for a run in weather that is too hot in an attempt to be a “badass” and get heat exhaustion and become ridiculously dehydrated, do not compound that mistake by returning home to chug an orange Gatorade and some Doritos. It will not fix your problem. You will still end up crumpled on the bathmat moaning to your loved one to “please Google ’stroke symptoms’.”
And your vomit will be an alarming hue.
***
If that one was too flippant and gross for you, try this.
Longball and I recently went to the outdoor swimming pool here in Pullman. After doing some laps and then paddling around I looked at the high dive and asked Longball what it’s like. He said I should try it and so immediately I got out and got in line without even thinking about it. Normally I over-think all new and especially scary things, or things I think I will fail at, but lately Longball has been encouraging me to be less scared and tentative. Recently he’s been teaching me how to shoot hoops and pitch a baseball - normal things people do but I was too afraid of failure to try.
Once I climbed up and walked out along the board I realized why I usually avoid new things. It turns out it looks much further once you get up there and you can see the bottom of the pool and your eyes are five feet taller than the board. I quickly realized I couldn’t jump. I looked out to Longball and yelled “I can’t do it.” He replied, “yes you can.” I looked back at the line behind me of all the shivering kids who could easily jump off the high dive, including the three-foot tall girl with a pink bathing suit. I realized I would have to back down the ladder of the high dive while they scorned me.
I yelled back down to Longball in the pool and yelled “I can’t do it.” He replied, “yes you can.”
I looked back at the pink suit girl, and back down at Longball. He was standing in the shallow end waving a pink floating noodle in the air for support. He believes I can do everything.
So I jumped.
***
If that’s too sentimental for you, well rest assured that my bathing suit went up my butt as a result of the plunge.
Happy Summer.