My Spiritual Journey

Since the formation of Christianity, the ritual of baptism was embed into the core ceremonies an individual goes through. While they vary drastically from complete submergence to a few droplets on the face, the water cleanses their soul. With a pure soul, they may continue on their spiritual journey.

While I am not a religious man, the power of water on my soul was apparent. A varsity swimmer, countless paddle trips with my Boy Scout troop, even playing in our flooded yard as a child, water encompassed who I was. My natural infatuation with water lead to two certainties, my parents were going to have high water bills and working as a lifeguard.

After I landed my first lifeguard job, an unexpected slow transition was set into motion. During my first year at the pool, I was
Secured back into my normal psyche, I was ready to regain myself. What my conscious was not ready for was another tragedy to destroy it again. Towards the end of my work shift on a balmy Wisconsin summer day, I received the word that my cousin had drowned. A man that was a high school football star, adventurer, and my role model had left us. From the outside, most people would have been perplexed on why he drowned. An athletic build and a pretty good brain between his ears, the look test would reveal no signs to what lead to his demise. From his infant years, he had diagnosed with Type I Diabetes. For years, we watched him constantly prick his finger to check his blood sugar. Then, the disease, we all had feared my take his life someday, struck with a seizure, that caused him to sink like a rock to the bottom of the lake that night. My brain was trying to sort through all the emotions I was having. It eventually settled onto sadness, which salty tears pouring onto my t-shirt. Taking a moment to wipe my eyes, I stared up into the sky. The clouds became a projection of myself as they blackened, unleashing tears and cries of their