Immersion: Lessons in the Deep
Love is swimming.
You cannot learn to swim
by standing on the shore,
nor escape getting wet
by calculating every wave.
The moment
you step into the water,
the body forgets its theories.
The cold responds,
but the depth answers no questions.
At first, you only flail—
mistaking panic for failure,
mistaking movement for progress.
But even unsteady motion
is a kind of understanding.
Water teaches through its resistance to stillness,
to being the same, to remaining the same.
Some currents pull you under
before you know their names.
Some hands—
hands you reach for in need—
are not always lifelines.
And still—you learn.
Not because the water becomes safe,
but because you begin to trust
your own breath within it.
Love is not the shore’s promise
of knowing without risk.
It is the water’s insistence
that knowing only begins
when you can no longer turn back.
درسهایی در اعماق
عشق، شنا کردن است
،با ایستادن بر ساحل
نمیتوان شنا آموخت
و با محاسبه هر موج
نمیتوان از خیسی گریخت
آن دم که
،پا در آب مینهی
،بدن، فرضیههایش را فراموش میکند
،سرما پاسخ میدهد
.اما عمق، به پرسشها پاسخ نمیدهد
—در آغاز، فقط دستوپا میزنی
،وحشت را با شکست اشتباه میگیری
.حرکت را با پیشرفت یکی میپنداری
اما حتی هر حرکتِ ناپایدار
،نوعی فهم است
،آب، با ستیزش با ثبات
،برای همان بودن و همان ماندن
.آموزش میدهد
برخی جریانها
تو را به زیر میکشند
،پیش از آنکه نامشان را بدانی
،برخی دستها
،دستهایی که دست نیاز به سویشان دراز میکنی
.همیشه نجاتبخش نیستند
،و با این حال—میآموزی
،نه چون آب امن میشود
بلکه چون اعتماد میکنی
.به نفس خودت درون آب
عشق عهد ساحل نیست
،برای دانستن بیمخاطره
عشق اصرارِ آب است
بر اینکه
دانستن
زمانی آغاز میشود
.که نتوانی بازگردی
سهیل خداپرستی
-
Author:
soheil khodaparasti (
Offline) - Published: August 20th, 2026 05:41
- Category: Unclassified
- Views: 7
Offline)
Comments1
A great metaphor for many types of learning I put children in swimming lessons when they were small because I did not want to have one drown. My youngest daughter started when she was barely walking and was the best swimmer of them all holding her breath for long periods swimming along the bottom. Later we would all swim off the beach out to the reef and stay for an hour or so snorkeling to see the fish. But knowing to swim can be a danger too when one over estimates and I remember my oldest son going out right after a hurricane to board the waves. I could not bear to watch for I knew I was not a strong enough swimmer to be of any use if he got in trouble. Lovely Soheil
What a beautiful and heartfelt reflection. I can imagine how reassuring it must have been to see your children become such confident swimmers, while also knowing how easily confidence can turn into overconfidence. Your memory of your son going out after the hurricane must have been especially frightening. It says so much about a parent’s love—you knew you had to trust him, even while knowing you might not be able to help if something went wrong. And those hours snorkeling together, discovering the reef and its fish, sound like truly precious memories. Thank you for sharing such a lovely story.
You are most welcome dear friend and thank you for sparking those memories with a wonderful write.
You are welcome.
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