Sweat dripped down my face, stopping only to wet my dry lips. It tasted salty.  I could feel the blister on both of my heels and I knew before the end of the day, those shoes would be off. I could see my brother and cousins a pretty good ways ahead of me.  I was pumping those pedals on my bicycle as hard as I could.

But soon,  I found,  I tired out and had to slow my pace.  “come on you big sissy!” yelled one of my fellow adventurers.  I had a huge imagination, so I was always thinking up outlandish stories about where we were going and what kind of fun we would have.  But I usually got knocked back into reality when my big brother stuck his leg over, kicking the front wheel of my bike.  Most of the time I would swerve ridiculously and crash over into the ditch. He and my cousins thoroughly enjoyed crap like that.  One might think that I would just stay home.  Avoid the humiliation.  But I could never allow them to leave me behind.  I wanted to witness whatever catastrophe or mess they got themselves into.. and believe me….they could get into a lot.

Our parents all worked during the day so we were pretty much left to our own defenses.  We had strict instructions not to leave the yard, not to mess up the house and not to fight.  We violated all of those rules, typically by lunch time.  And then we would spend the rest of the day preparing for our parents to come home.  It was a glorious summer!!!

One especially hot day, we set out on an epic journey, a trip to beat all other trips. We just had to be back home and prepared for parents by 3:30.

My hands were slipping on the handlebars due to all the sweat.  My cut off shorts and pink panther tshirt were soaked before getting out of our yard.    My addidas were covered in dust from the old road we traveled down.

We had traveled for what seemed like forever.  Looking back now, and traveling that same road, I know that .8 of a mile is not really forever.  Regardless, I begged the rest of our crew to turn back with me. It was just too disgustingly hot. “Lets go back and watch Gilligans Island.” I begged. But those bandits kept riding.

Suddenly I saw their bikes veer off the dirt road, through the ditch and out of sight.  Where in the world were they going? I really only knew of one way to NOT get bitten by a rattlesnake in the woods. NOT veer off this perfectly good dirt road into the unknown.

I stopped my bike and felt tears well up in my eyes. I could go back home.  It wasn’t that far and the way home always seemed shorter to me.  But oh the ridicule I would receive.

No, I had to press on, even if I had to man up and go into the woods.  As I neared the opening in the thick brush I could hear shouts of joy and screams of jubilee. What sort of amazing treasure had they found?

Suddenly I could see my tall, skinny legged, red haired brother running straight at a large body of water. “Cannonball!!!” He screamed and made a pathetically minimal splash. More like a kickball, I thought.

My cousins had already plunged in and were splashing and laughing as they raced to the edge to jump again.

My heart said to run, jump in! Be a kid!!

But my mind argued.. “How will I explain my wet clothes”

“What might be lurking beneath the surface of that murky water?”

“Come on you baby! Get in!” Came the challenge I knew was coming.

“She won’t get in… Bock,bock!!!! Chic-Ken!!!!”

They all three started making ridiculous chicken clucking noises.

I threw my bike down and the dust flew up, choking me, which only fired my determination. I ran to the edge as if to jump.

Only I didn’t.

I didn’t know how to swim.

So on this hot, sticky, blistering summer day, on the bank of an old freshly dug irrigation pond… three cousins continued to enjoy the cool water. But one cousin, softly slipped down the slippery edge and submerged with a death grip on the side. The others didn’t try to pull me in or tease me about not knowing how to swim. They continued their fun, pretty much ignoring me. But it gave me a moment to feel like “one of the guys” as I held on for dear life.

The best way to not drown in an old pond, down a dusty dirt road when you’re ten? That’s easy… don’t get in!

How to build memories with your brother and two cousins you rarely see anymore? That’s even easier…. Get In!!!

By the time we made it back home my shoes hung over my handle bars and my heels were bleeding. My thighs were chafed, and my face was blistered.

We all knew we would be in trouble for trespassing, swimming without an adult and going that far on our bikes. But now, looking back…. the only regret I have is that I sure wish I had learned to swim earlier. So, always… take the trip, live the adventure, try new things….. Just Get In!!!! What’s the matter…You Chicken???