Many years ago, as an undergraduate student, I agreed to house-sit for my French professor and her husband during the summer while they traveled in France. Meanwhile, I remained in southern Maryland to work my job at the college. I had known of my professor’s plans for months, and over dinner and long walks around...
Since learning to swim, I have become an advocate for others who want to feel more at ease, especially in the deep end. I feel immense joy when previously hesitant swimmers, both adults and teens, refuse to get out of the pool at the end of class, having found comfort in a space that once...
As I glide back and forth in the pool, lap after lap, I relax into the rhythm of the water against my skin. The water is just right—neither too hot nor too cold—and I marvel at the ease of my strokes. Beneath me, the cobalt blue lines stand out against the white pool floor, steady...
Today I dove twelve feet down to the bottom of the pool to retrieve a ten-pound brick. I’m required to be able to do this, without goggles, as part of my training to become a swim instructor. Many times before, I made the attempt unsuccessfully and resurfaced early without the brick. Moving through the blurry,...
A foundation to healing and self-understanding For those of us who have lived between cultures, the quiet act of naming our truth can be a radical reclamation. On a picture-perfect weekend, I reconnected with my roots at the May 2025 Calabash International Literary Festival held at Treasure Beach on Jamaica’s south shore. Against a backdrop...
What does it mean to Enjoy the Water Armed with the Knowledge of How to Keep yourself safe? On April 12th, I was at the Y pool to assist swim instructors as they taught water safety. I stood riveted when a group of six three- to five-year-old children trouped into the pool area with their...
One Caribbean friend packed her bag and headed home on November 3rd. That day, faced with packing her suitcases for her months-long stay with family, my friend appreciated having an extra hour of daylight-saving time, but more important, she rejoiced knowing that she would be out of town, and in the tropics when the days would...
“Like watermarks on paper, aquatics can leave ineffaceable impressions on cultures, on memories, and on one’s sense of place and identity.” ~ Kevin Dawson in Undercurrents of Power: Aquatic Culture in the African Diaspora Trauma healing is a process. I was only ten years old when I accompanied my father and uncle to Hellshire Beach, a...
