Agnes by Tony Cochran for July 15, 2020

And Agnes does not realize that if Trout survived the dive, so can she.

She’s found her special talent!

You just know she’s got to be drinking lemonade.

Wow… I’m looking over my shoulder…

Agnes may be approaching my record of failures.

There are different ways to look at it.

I was a couple of years older at the time of my last attempt… but I certainly didn’t climb the ladder every year, and I doubt Agnes did either.

Does not even trying count as a failure?

Or perhaps one of us has tried more times in one season… though I’m guess for both of is, the average tries/season, or T/S, is less than one.

But maybe all that counts is that we’re tied at 0 successful dives.

To the _jam … and others who have pointed out the likelihood of survival, told tales of other’s experiences in getting over it… suggested “just” jumping…. etc…

Phobias have nothing to do with the reality of survival, or knowing that your son enjoys it.

Yes… some people can get over a phobia…

it takes work, and often patience, kindness or professional help from another person.

But if someone like me, or maybe YOU… or possibly Agnes… has a well-entrenched fear of heights, or diving….

or spiders, or snakes… or darkness, or confinement…

whether sensible or foolish…

no amount of “just get over it” by itself is helpful.

When I wrote about being pushed off, a couple of people asked questions I didn’t get back to answer…

but no… it wasn’t gym class… though I hated gym class, I think someone would have gotten in trouble for that.

I’ve been bullied so many times in my life into climbing that ladder… by bigger kids, by a camp counselor … even by my own father…

I HAVE backed down, and made lines of kids or even adults back down behind me.

It was a public pool, by a full grown adult, who thought it was funny.

I was 5’6" tall, so I’m not sure whether she realised I was so young.

But I was startled.. not holding my breath yet…

I fainted, and didn’t come up.

Luckily there was a lifeguard.

Don’t DO that

The less you do, the less people expect of you.

Nobody expects you to ever go off the high dive, Agnes. So if you do, people will be astonished.

Well Agnes, the beauty of the landfill will stay with you at least.

A foolish consistency may be the hobgoblin of little minds, but a wise consistency is a good thing.

Ah, a perfect failure.