I remember how proud I felt the day my young swimmer advanced from Scallop to Cuttlefish . As I watched her strong, self-assured doggy paddle, I imagined Olympic gold. Possibly a parade. The next few months were intoxicating. She rocketed through the preschool ranks—Cuttlefish, Mackerel—and eventually reached the pinnacle of aquatic achievement: Lumpsucker . We were living the dream. And then… things stalled. Grade school arrived, and suddenly there were no more adorable

Motherhood, Dance, and Other Extreme Sports I was born eight days late – the daughter of a dance teacher, minus functioning hip-sockets.  Not exactly a natural talent. More a pillow-splint and corrective shoes sort of gal, who tripped over her own feet when running.  With hard-work and a decade of dance training (cue Rocky  soundtrack), I revealed myself to be .… still not great.  But I loved dance! All of it -  the music, the challenge, the stage, and a creative world wher