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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Annie,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>I agree with Vegas about the ending, that is, that your dad didn’t encourage you to try again, and help you to gain more confidence. Perhaps there should have been more communication.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>This brought back many memories for me. My brother- in-law taught me in a fresh water lake in Idaho. Then I had the experience of water-skiing on Jackson Lake in Wyoming. The shore was full of rocks, and the water ice cold. The next experience was off the coast of Kenya in the Indian Ocean. My husband, three young boys and I stopped at a cove where they were renting boats and gear, and before going through there museum, we decided to water ski, and have my 8 year-old son try it. I got up first, after explaining how and what I was doing, and managed to do a complete big circle of the cove without falling. Jeff tried again and again and just could not manage to get up.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Afterwards, we toured the museum and found that there were barracuda along with other dangerous fish in the cove. I shudder to think of our parenting skills, and lack of knowledge before doing that.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>I fully understand your fear of the unknown deep. It should not be one’s first experience.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>And yes, it does hurt if you ski at 35 miles per hour and fall, and I found it impossible to transfer to use just one ski, as most graduate to if they continue with the sport.. The most important factor to me was the boatman, and knowing he would idle the engine when he got anywhere near me!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Thanks for sharing your experience.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'>Jacqueline Williams<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'>Clarity is just questioning having eaten its fill.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'> Jenny Xie<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b>From:</b> Stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces@nfbnet.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Ann Chiappetta via Stylist<br><b>Sent:</b> Friday, October 04, 2019 5:23 PM<br><b>To:</b> 'Writers' Division Mailing List' <stylist@nfbnet.org><br><b>Cc:</b> anniecms64@gmail.com<br><b>Subject:</b> [Stylist] writing prompt<o:p></o:p></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Cue the Da-Dum, Da-Dum …<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>By Ann Chiappetta<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Spending the summer on Long Island sound is one of my favorite childhood memories. My Dad bought a boat after the divorce and I spent the first year learning how not to be motion sick. I was eleven and spent each weekend with Dad trolling for bluefish, bottom fishing for flounder, or diving into the cool Atlantic water when it got hot. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>One weekend afternoon my cousins were with us to go water skiing. Dad had to be convinced because he didn’t want to use all his gas for something so frivolous. My cousins actually coughed up the gas money and after filling up at the fuel dock, we rode out of the harbor proper finding open water. It was the summer that the movie Jaws had been released and terrified generations of movie-goers, including me. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>When it was my turn to dive in and get help from my cousin to help buckle on the skis, and grab the tow handle, I didn’t have time to feel afraid. My adrenaline was making my hands shake and I was grinning like a fool. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The boat drifted off, my Dad straightening the tow line, then he gave me the thumbs up, and I heard the throttle rise and the boat roared into life, I felt the powerful jerk on my hands and arms but I did what Dad instructed, kept my arms bent, my toes pointed up knees bent, leaning away from the pull. I was up and skimming the water, then I hit a dip in the water and my skis flew into the air and when I landed back in the water, they both flew off my feet. I’d let go of the handle as soon as I felt the fall coming and floated in the water thanks to the safety flotation belt. The boat wasn’t far off, already circling around to get me. In that moment of floating I thought of the movie and I began to scan the surface of the water, trying to look down past my feet but the water was a murky green. I began to panic, closing my eyes and trying not to cry. I watched the boat come closer, then gratefully swam to the ladder when Dad put it into neutral. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“Want to try again?” asked my cousin. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I shook my head and unbuckled the flotation belt. After bobbing in the water, helpless and possibly being mistaken for a meal, I was happy to only try water skiing again in a freshwater lake.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Author<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>` Making meaningful connections with others through writing `<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.annchiappetta.com/">www.annchiappetta.com</a> or <a href="http://www.dldbooks.com/annchiappetta/">www.dldbooks.com/annchiappetta/</a> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Blog: <a href="http://www.thought-wheel.com/">www.thought-wheel.com</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Facebook Annie Chiappetta<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>