Saturdays with Seniors: Nancy Dives In

Today’s guest blogger Nancy Lerman (and Lana the dog).

I am pleased to introduce Nancy Lerman as our Saturdays with Seniors guest blogger today. Nancy has been in the Monday class I lead for The Village Chicago since it started in 2013 and has participated in a writing Program at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre for six years as well. That’s a lot of writing!

Several of the stories she’s written over the years have been about her fear of water., After conquering that fear two years ago, she now says swimming is one of her favorite relaxing activities.

It Started with a Book

by Nancy Lerman

The Pandemic has been a productive time for many. My husband Michael has reorganized the basement. Moved everything around in the garage. Labeled all the spices in my kitchen cabinet with purchase dates. Brilliant, right? Or is he playing the long game so that five years from now when he wants to throw bottles out, I can’t protest.

I, on the other hand, have closets of 20-year-old garments screaming to be sorted through and shipped off to Goodwill. The “Build Better Feet in 8 weeks” on-line program I purchased? You know, the one that promises to strengthen feet and leg muscles so I won’t need orthotics or have chronic foot pain? It remains untouched. And Beth’s writing prompt for last week, the one where we’re suppose to select an object in our house and write about it? Have you read anything in depth about an item in my house here? Well, here goes. The object I chose is a book.

An ever-growing stack of books sits on my bedside table. A dogged-eared copy of Conquer Your Fear of Water, A Self-Discovery Course in Swimming by Melon Dash tops the pile. I bought Melon’s book 15 years ago and spent several summers working through all the water exercises without much success. My fear of water ran deep.

I held onto the book hoping one day for a breakthrough. The breakthrough came when I mustered the courage to take a class in Sarasota, Florida taught by the author herself. With Melon’s help, I conquered a 40-plus-year fear of water and learned to swim.

But there’s always more fear around the corner.

This fall Chicago’s Goodman Theatre offered a class called Solo Voice through its popular GeNarrations program. The class targets folks wanting to write and eventually perform a 45-90 minute solo piece.

Having honed my craft on Beth’s five minute essays, the thought of a solo show is terrifying. Curiosity got the better of me, though, and I signed up.

What an excellent opportunity to expand some of my 500-word essays! But which ones? I plowed through years of Beth assignments. Whether it be a single story screaming for more airtime, or several stories to string together with a common theme, I wanted a topic that would have meaning for both the audience and for me. Swimming fit the bill.

Most people wrestle with anxiety and fear at some point. Flying. Driving. Public Speaking. Snakes. No one’s immune. Conquering my fear of water would be relatable. I came up with two goals:

1. Show how learning to slow down and stay present can allow a person to move from panic to safety
2. Demonstrate how water panic prevention skills can apply to everyday life

I’m still writing the first draft. Melon’s book provides inspiration.

Performing a solo show on stage for 45 minutes opens a floodgate of fears. But that’s fodder for another day. Right now getting all the ideas swimming around in my head down on a pool of paper is plenty.

Funny, how a book bought fifteen years ago continues to coax me to conquer new challenges.