Peace

Tonight I will know peace. Well, not total silence. The bubbles from my exhaust ports will be waffling past my ears as they make there way to the surface. Tonight will be a scuba dive into a local lake. Although this dive will be more work then relaxation, it will be bliss for me.

I am a member of a water rescue team, and tonight we’re doing darkness and entanglement training. It’s been too long since I have been under water, and I’m looking forward to once again slipping beneath the surface and leaving the rest of the world behind.

My dream has always been to go into space, and scuba diving is as close as I will probably ever come. Scuba diving lets you float weightless, but has so much more to offer then space. While under the water there are many things to see and do. Life is all around you, and you can watch fish, and other critters as they go about their lives wondering what the heck this big bubble-blowing monstrosity is watching them.

If you’ve never had the pleasure I would like to encourage you to go to your local PADI dive shop and ask for a small quickie class called, “Discover Scuba”. For one session you learn a little about scuba diving and get to breath under water in a pool. Trust me, even if you think it will be scary, or you’re not too comfortable in the water, it’s an experience you’ll always remember. You’re not signing up to become a certified diver, there are no dangerous fish in the pool, and it’s not very deep. Just go, and enjoy.

Diving at night is not for the faint of heart. There is no moon, or starlight under water to give you a little vision. When you turn off your light, it’s as dark as being in a room with no windows and no other light source. You cannot see your hand in front of your face! Why do it? Because it’s fun. There are few things in life that you can still do that a million other people aren’t doing right next to you. Night diving is one of those. Heck, diving in a lake in the Northwest is one of those…

So tonight I will know peace. I will enjoy my short time under the cool water listening to the bubbles, and letting the pressures of the surface drain away from me. When I surface once again, I will be refreshed, and ready to face another day.