Day 111 – First High (updated)

My day was boring but a conversation at work sparked my thoughts for the day.  He was talking about his Pranic Healing experience which reminded me to my first experience as to what meditation could do – they were very similar.  It’s all vibration in the end, all from the source (God for those to use the name).  His glow as he spoke was like a person remembering their first “high”.  No. It’s not the first time I’ve been high nor is being high exclusive to drug use – did you think the post was going to be drugs?  Sorry to disappoint.

Getting high doesn’t have to involve drugs, although drugs is the easiest thing to associate with the word “high”.  A high, in my books at least, is your first real enjoyment of an experience.  It’s that moment when you “just get it”.  That can be instantly, or it can take time to acquire. For instance, when learning to SCUBA dive, the enjoyment was there but the experience was cumbersome. 

There was a lot of gear and gear lugging and, in Sydney you needed a 5mm wetsuit. (in Australia that’s pronounced “five mil”. Mil for millimetres not million). For women, a five-mil wetsuit meant no fingernails were safe from damage or feeling bruised.  Then there was the constant salt water on your hair and drying both your hair and your gear only to get it wet again.  During courses you could dive up to three times a day. 

Nonetheless there was beauty as well, but was it worth the effort? To keep myself going, I enrolled into advanced courses and specialty courses.   All these courses saw me constantly wet.  To get the cheaper prices, it the courses were held in the cooler months. Therefore, I really dragged my heels. Always last into the water – much to my dive buddy’s dismay.  Underneath I was probably in denial about being freaked out by being underwater.  All those warning and scare stories told by non-divers and divers alike mess with your head when you’re left alone with your own thoughts.   Even the “cool” dive stories were sometimes scary with how likely it felt it could recur.  The logic of it being a story because of its relative rarity doesn’t really come into play.

Anyway, the SCUBA shop near the water knew it would take time to get people “addicted” to the sport.  To keep people diving, the shop had a deal; instead of hiring your gear and trying to save for your own gear at the same time.  You purchased your gear with the hire money each time you dived.  It was great!  It solved the problem of trying to save for your gear, while you were enthused about diving. 

The shop knew people if you stopped before you “got it”, SCUBA would get replaced with the next thing cool thing.  It also knew it would take most people between 30-50 dives before being comfortable underwater.  The hire-buy program was a success for the shop because the store kept your gear until you paid for it.  Any diving you did would invariably be done through them.  They won, you won! And, more importantly, it kept people diving until they “got it”.  The more you dived the faster you owned your gear!   The more you dived the closer you were to realising you really liked diving.  The scheme kept me diving!  

Another thing I did to give SCUBA a shot was to book myself on dive trips and vacations. These were great opportunities to meet new people connected with their fondness for diving.  Still not hooked on SCUBA but hooked on the coolness of the sport I joined a few trips.  Going away on weekend trips got me away from home and seeing great parts of the country and world.  Plus, if your diving took you to the “champagne belt” apparently people would lug your gear for you, the most you needed for a SCUBA suit was a one to three mil (fingernails friendly).  Also, having your own wetsuit with fleece lining made it that much easier to put on.

So, how does all this relate to a first time high? We’re getting there, trust me 😉. 

For me, my “SCUBA enlightenment” came in the Solomon Islands at the Uepi Resort, Dive 33. It was on a dingy in the “middle of the ocean”, with two others, and the dive master.   I began to drag my heels again and the dive master said, “so what are you waiting for? You either want to dive or you don’t”.  After a pause to think about the question and statement, I decided I wanted to dive; within minutes, I was in the water equalising and floating perfectly.

That dive was amazing! Everything just worked, no more dragging the heels – tank prepped, straps fastened, gloves on, and with a backward flip into the water, I entered heaven! There was a connection with the ocean, the breath, the water, my fears disappeared even with a shark’s shadow swimming over me – it all happened on that dive.  It was my first SCUBA high.  With the high experienced, I wanted more!  Lugging SCUBA gear around – that’s no lugging that exercise to get fit so you can dive longer!  Wow! Wow! Wow!

So, why did I persevere? Anything new needs practise. There must have also been a part of me that amazed at overcoming my personal fears too.  For me, personal fears are sometimes a challenge.  If it’s a personal challenge I lean in.

This “high” experience isn’t just for SCUBA diving.  It was the hit that had me going back and wanting more of the same.  While there have been an amazing amount of SCUBA highs, it was the one that set the bar for everything that followed.   

Wow! Guess the story I wanted to get to wasn’t meant for today.  If its mean to be it will come.

The other thing that happened today is that the lady who looks after our cats when we go away, texted to say that cat trappers were in the neighbourhood and to keep the boys inside for a couple of weeks.  Apart from the two hours in the morning and two hours when we get home, the cats are indoors anyway.  You wouldn’t think this was a problem.  Well, we’d be wrong. 

For now, let’s see what the cards have to say!