Dive Into Your Imagination

Born and raised in Chicago, I never dreamed I would be a scuba diver. Although I loved swimming and water, it wasn't until after college that I breathed underwater with a scuba tank. I knew in that one instant that I would become a scuba instructor and be able to teach others. I need all of the people who work with me to be given the chance to feel this feeling, to be neutrally buoyant, to defy nature and gravity. And so we began a journey teaching Jay and Rebecca how to scuba dive.

What happened over the class was incredibly special because Jay has a fear of water I did not know existed and Rebecca has dreamed of being a mermaid since she was a baby. Having students at such opposite ends of the spectrum was going to be interesting.

There is a huge difference between men and women. We experience it with communication almost on a daily basis in our offices. Now that we know each other well, we can laugh at it. But with scuba diving, I was a little bit nervous because I work with Jay and Rebecca and I am having them sign liability releases that if anything happens to them, it is not my fault. Scuba diving is one of the easiest things to learn how to do because the program is designed to teach you through reading, watching video and then practicing your skills in confined water and open water.

I had wanted to teach Jay how to scuba dive for six months and I could not understand why he was not reading the manual and open to this gift. Then his stories started coming out. Jay was petrified of the ocean and of water. He had a near drowning experience as a child....and he never told me until like the day before we were going to the pool for diving classes. He is pretty straight faced and hides emotions well and so the morning we were to go into the pool, I knew I would have to really go slow and make him feel safe.

Rebecca on the other hand was a bit frustrated because she just wanted to charge through the experience. She read the manual within days of receiving it.

But no matter what the challenges we were facing, I was building a team...a team of scuba divers. I have taught a lot of people how to scuba dive, but there was something special in teaching Jay and Rebecca because I look at this ability I have at teaching as a giving a gift to people. I will never, ever forget my scuba diving classes and  instructor because of the gift he gave me. And I knew that for both Jay and Rebecca it would be the same...and so from the beginning, failure was not an option. I knew what ever challenges they would have, we would be able to conquer together!

And I honestly don't know who enjoyed the first pool session more, Jay and Rebecca...or me!