oceans, lakes, and bodies of water

So I've decided that when I get my tax return this year I am going to spend it on something that any time before now I would have thought of as a luxury out of my reach. I'm getting my scuba certification and some basic gear (regulator, mask, octopus, pirahna). I've put it off too long. Part of my reason for posting it on this sight is so that I will have some accountability for actually following through with it. Feel free to ask me where I'm at in the process. As of today I haven't actually filed my taxes so thats the first step, but just you wait. Anyway, scuba diving b/c anyone that knows me well knows that one of my favorite past times is holding my breath and seeing how deep I can go. In college all of the lifeguards kind of looked at me funny when Id go to the diving pool (14ft deep) and spend time doing laps on the bottom. If you haven't ever been to the bottom of a clear pool, held your nose and looked up, your missing something in your life. Also, Brian Abrams told me he'd buy me dinner if I could bring up some sand from the bottom of Lake Murray. Think black and cold. His depth finder told me it was around 60ft after I returned to the surface with a wad of mud to prove myself. Too bad it was a $3.99 buffet dinner at CiCi's pizza. The best part was we saw Reg Taylor, the local weatherman ,with his family. I thought he might have been gay before that.
I digress. Something weird happens when you hit 20 ft. Intense cold. You'd think that as the water receives less and less sunlight that it would gradually become colder, but no. Its called the thermocline, where there is an abrupt temperature change in the transition to deep water. Its a shock at first but not altogether bad. Its better when you come back up because you get this intense warmth all of the sudden as you and your burning lungs search for the surface. In my childhood I would constantly be in the pool with my watch, resting my head under the ladder, trying my best to remain motionless. The only poster I ever put up in my room (besides my stolen Rushmore poster from the Russel House in college) was a pic of some dolphins from Scuba Diving magazine. Thats right, at 12yrs old I bought scuba diving magazines. Those and Nintendo power. Right, so why did I forget about it and not really pay attention to those desires before now? Its hard to say. Sometimes caution and setbacks and the feeling that those desires won't really accomplish anything for you in your life drown out that little voice. I'm slowly realizing though that the opposite may be true. In order to do ANYTHING in your life it takes the power of realized dreams to motivate you. Unaccomplished goals and snuffed out dreams create a sense of defeat and disdain brewing underneath the facade of contentment. Slowly, if you put them off, a sense of unconfidence in your abilities sets in and begins to cure around your feet....Leaving you immobilized. I see myself at a crucial crux where the exercising of dreaming is mandatory to my moving forward, its not an option. Without vision the people perish. Without dreams the soul stupors. It seems like every dream for me thats of any significance, spiritually or otherwise has some sort of body of water that I interact with, usually going deeper into it, never drowning and always calm, peaceful and alone. I like it. What do you dream about? Do something for me, think back to your childhood (if you are currently a child think back to the womb?) What got your heart running? What made your eyes big? Does it seem insignificant? Don't brush it off too fast. Maybe your like Jared and like to dig into textbooks, or Jessica and like to brush your hair and whine alot and be really good looking(I kid). Or Jordan and like to post really funny blogs and do the robot. Or like Chris Underwood, wanted all of your life to farm potatoes in the fields of Idaho (I'm not making that up). Act on it before its too late. Again, I love you all the same but in different ways.