I would be remiss not to mention...

...that I was glued to the television today; watching some of my favorite athletes achieve their dreams. I also became a huge fan of Mr Cullen Jones today. Not only for his achievement today in the relay but for bringing much needed attention to the fact that parents must teach their children how to swim.

Every summer I hear about a poor child who has drowned or nearly drowned in a pool or at the beach. My first reaction is to admonish the parents..."where were you? why weren't you watching your child?" But, my reaction has changed when I heard about the nanny who died trying to save a child. The problem isn't always the parents or care takers. The problem is simply not knowing how to swim.

I learned how to swim at age 4. My mom enrolled my sister and I into one of the only predominantly African-American swim teams around at the time. The first thing I remember learning was to respect the water. I learned how to get in the water properly and to get out of the water properly to prevent injury. I swam competitively until the age of 15.

This is important only for understanding my POV. I am still shocked that there are so many children who don't know how to swim. I liken this to not learning how to ride a bike or roller skate (even though I suck at it...at least I learned). When friends admit that they do not know how to swim, frankly, I'm perplexed.

In one conversation with a friend of mine I gained some insight...

"So what do you want to do for your birthday?" asks my friend.

"I dunno..something really small and simple. You know, nothing major." I reply.

"Oh yea? Like what?"

"Like a Cruise to the Caribbean or an all-inclusive spa weekend." I answered.

"That's small?!" my friend chuckles.

"Well I would really like to step out of some resort pool in November. That's a sexy thought." (FYI I tend to use sexy as an adjective in place of great, good, etc.)

My friend laughs out loud and then says "I'll have to watch because I don't swim."

" You don't what??? How old are you again? I don't believe this...I must teach you."

"Umm, I grew up in the hood...have you seen pools there lately?" my friend quickly replied with a slight edge in their voice.

I ignored the edge and pressed "Again...how old are you? EVOLVE."

**CAUTION** This is where I go off on a complete tangent bare with me folks.

Where or who (for that matter) you come from should never limit what you do or can do now. I absolutely abhor excuses that start off with "well where I come from..." or "I never experienced.." Are you kidding me? EVOLVE. Do what YOU do not what your PARENTS did. If you are a carbon copy then there is really no need for you to walk this planet.

I know that there are people out there who still try to judge people from what "cloth" they are cut from: what school they attended, what their parents do for a living, or where they live...

People who make superficial judgements like that are still trying to define themselves. They are depth less (is that a word? oh who cares I'm on a rant) and are simply projecting. Quit absorbing that mess and Reflect! Reflect that garbage off of you and keep it B.onaB.! okay?!

**COAST IS CLEAR**

I learned a great deal from this conversation with my friend. I learned that where you live can be a barrier to learning how to swim at a young age. I also learned that many people don't take time to learn how to swim after they have become adults. Yet, learning how to swim is very important to every child, teen, adult, and senior. It's a life saving tool that is impossible to unlearn. It's also very inexpensive to learn.

In fact, learning to swim (in most cases) costs less than a designer bathing suit. There are classes available at just about every YMCA and at just about every college/university. All it takes is a little research (I'm talking a phone call here people).

So before you book your next tropical get away or head into the water at the beach/pool please think about taking a few nights out of the week to learn how to swim. It could only save your life.

And just in case you need some stats... http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/drown.htm

I'd like to dedicate this blog to my coach, Robert Trotman. Who always taught me to keep my head down and my eyes on the finish line.

I'd also like to extend my condolences to the families of

Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes

You will be missed.

TTFN!