I think that one of Ben’s secrets to staying sane and happy when all of the world is on hold, is to reminisce about the people, events and places he loves. Instead of being upset that his Special Olympics swim season is cancelled, he recalls, with great fondness, swim meets of the past, and eagerly awaits next year’s season. We’re not kidding ourselves. We know it is just as much about the restaurant after the meet as it is about the competition itself. We also leave room for the possibility that he thinks “meat” when we say “meet.” His favorite meet (which probably would have been this weekend) is in Shamokin, because he loves going to Brewsers afterwards. Ben’s favorite meat, duck, is not served there, but they make a darn good hamburger!
Ben took swimming lessons for years from Mrs. Vannucci, and he became, if not elegant, proficient at getting across her pool with any stroke she called for. Her method of lessons every day for two weeks at the beginning of summer was perfect for teaching both of our kids and hundreds of other kids in the greater Williamsport area how to swim.
In Special Olympics swimming, he prefers the back crawl because it keeps his face out of the heavily chlorinated water. At his first swim meet a few years back, I couldn’t figure out from the bleachers what he was doing, but I could see that something with his stroke was way off. Was he holding something in his hand? Just as he neared the end, I realized what he was doing. He had been trying, with every stroke, to give us a thumbs up!
Obviously, Ben didn’t earn a blue ribbon that day or any other, but swimming thumbs up? That’s a whole different kind of win!
