Swim training: week 1 complete

For 10 years, I've wanted to become an infant swim instructor. Both my children went through an infant swim program and watching them gain the skills to save themselves in the water was amazing. But the certification fee was always just out of my reach for years but I never lost sight that it was the only thing I wanted to do. I just had to figure out how to get the fee together to do it. Lucky me, my divorce got me the fee to start a new life.
Monday felt a bit surreal. Here I was about to start training to do something I've wanted to do for 10 years. A little daunting, very exciting, a little shake of the head that I was finally here. And, as I said to my instructor this week, had I stayed married, I still would be floating around the house and wishing I could train. It would have stayed that way, and stayed that way, and stayed that way.
As I said: new life.
The downside is I had to move from the kids to do this, but my 10-year-old very smart daughter, during our discussion about why I needed to move, said,"I want you to save lives."
Sure, you can sit at a desk every day and contribute to the economy. I'm saving lives - she said it. It's why I wanted to do this.
I'm to be in the pool for six weeks with 100 hours of in-water instruction with a variety of ages from six months to four years. Just this week, I've done over 26 hours but that's neither here nor there. It's six weeks, regardless.
All of last week, was spent time reading and making notes from the books my instructor gave me on child development. Found out that I've forgotten how to study. Drat.
Every day I've been in the water for at least 6 1/2 hours. Learning the techniques is a lot to take in. The pool isn't as warm as I'd like it. It's going to wreak havoc on my skin (my friend Phyllis told me to bathe in olive oil).
I told my grandmother on my first day I let a kid sink. Thirty kids a day, four days a week - I let one kid sink three of four days (each time a different kid). A bit overwhelming. Wednesday night I felt exhausted.
My instructor, Nadyne, asked me at the end of my first day if I really wanted to do this. She said she was going to ask me about 100 more times.
Today she asked if I was happy I was doing this.
Oh yes, absolutely. I'm finally where I'm supposed to be.