During the hot and humid days of summer, everyone wants to get in the water. Whether it’s swimming in the ocean or jumping off the diving board at the pool, the water is the place to cool off and have some fun.

But sadly, I am missing the water gene in my DNA. Ever since I was little, I have not been a fan of water. And I was born an Aquarius – a water sign! Regardless, I was a big baby about the water, and it took me forever to learn how to swim because I was afraid to put my face in or go under the water. I would cling to the wall during swimming lessons while others played games and raced to the other side of the pool.

Once I got over my initial fear, I figured out how to float, tread water, and swim enough to be able to save myself (G-d forbid). But I’ve never been comfortable in water that I can’t stand in. Case in point, when we took our kids to the water parks, you could always find me on the lazy rivers and log flumes but never on those massive water slides. That was Scott’s job.

At this point, you might be wondering how the heck I have a son who loves to swim, plays water polo, and works as a lifeguard?! Yeah, he didn’t get any of that from me. But because of my fears, I vowed my kids would be good swimmers. I threw them into swimming lessons, signed up for swim teams, and took them to the water parks. I didn’t want them to miss out on the fun like I did when I was younger. So, maybe I had something to do with Andrew swimming like a fish after all.

Last week, when our friends invited us out on their beautiful boat, I had some concerns, while Scott gave a resounding YES! I wish it were that easy for me. All week I was thinking about what might happen if something went wrong. What if we tipped over? What if I got seasick? What if everyone wanted to go in the water, and I’d look silly sitting on the boat in an orange lifejacket? But then I told myself to get over it. Most Saturdays, we are food shopping or running errands. This was the chance to have an adventure and do something fun.

I’m happy to say I found my sea legs pretty quickly and enjoyed myself today! We ate, drank, shopped, and laughed with our friends. Yes, the water was a little choppy in a few places, but I felt perfectly safe relaxing on the deck, checking out all of the cool boats and pretty houses, and being in the company of our good friends while exploring the Chesapeake Bay. I saw people on wave runners and all different kinds of boats. Some boats were anchored so that people could swim nearby. While you won’t catch me jumping off the back of a boat, I’d definitely go for another ride again and soon.

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Not my bedroom. 🙂

I read somewhere that you should treat your primary bedroom as a relaxing oasis. A beautiful space in your home that is calm, peaceful, and inviting. A place where you can leave all of your worries at its threshold and put your feet up in a luxurious king-size bed where you get the best sleep of your life. It’s well-lit and decorated to your liking. And nothing is there to distract you except for the book you are reading or your favorite tv show, and you have all the time in the world to enjoy it.

Do my friends have bedrooms like this? Or am I only seeing these havens in home décor magazines and on HGTV? I can tell you one thing – my bedroom is nothing like this. It’s messy. And when I say messy, I don’t mean dirty. In fact, it’s quite clean. It’s just not neat. Sometimes, I refer to my room as a “sorting station” for wayward sunscreen bottles, lost coffee mugs, and unopened mail. It’s also the spot where I can’t decide what to wear, critique myself in the mirror, and wonder if I’ll ever lose the pandemic weight. And more than anywhere else in the house, this room has witnessed every emotion I possess, from depression to delight. Instead of calling it an oasis, I’d describe it as more of a lived-in corner of the house where I can just be myself.

I would love to prioritize cleaning up my room, but by the time I straighten up the more public-facing rooms in the house, I’m not inclined to tackle this one too. I do the minimum tasks during the week to make it less chaotic. I make my bed every morning. I hang up the clean clothes and put the dirty ones in the hamper. I do the best I can to manage the clutter. On weekends, I sort through the odds and ends that don’t belong. When I feel particularly motivated, I’ll reorganize my closet and straighten up my pajama drawer. Once in a while, I’ll have a bag of donations ready to go, but it might sit for a few weeks before I call Purple Heart.

Besides my husband, my kids, and twice a month, my cleaning people, no one else comes in here to look around and judge me. So maybe it is a different kind of oasis after all.

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