That’s our little inside joke. Paul and I met 5 years ago, and we’ve been almost inseparable ever since. But we were both a little love-skeptical when we got together. It was sometimes difficult for us to be open about our feelings for each other- so one year into our relationship, instead of celebrating Valentine’s Day, I decided to take Paul shore diving (at night. In the Pacific. In February).
Stay with me, because this story is actually romantic. On our second date ever, Paul invited me to his apartment where he cooked dinner and we traded off playing our favorite music videos on his huge TV and drinking wine. By the end of the date, we had gone on a walk to see the ocean, and somehow ended up skinny dipping- in the dark- in February – in the Pacific. Freezing? Yes. Memorable? Yes. O Me! O Life!
One year later, I wanted to recreate this act of brazen impulsivity with another frigid act of brazen impulsivity- Paul had told me he was scared of scuba diving at night, (also of fish bigger than him, and of feet), so I wanted to be the one to take him on his first night dive, and what better day than Valentines day? It took away the pressure of doing something commercially romantic, or spending too much money. The Pacific in February was already our love language- so we’d just dive in deeper.
The dive itself was lovely. I like scuba diving in the winter in California; the water is cold and clear. Night diving always gives me a thrill. We dived Shaw’s Cove in Laguna Beach and saw Shelly, and the kelp was strong and shadowy, and we saw an octopus and we held hands. When we emerged from the waves, we were both shivering and my hands were ghostly white. Paul had conquered a fear of his, we both felt brave and exhilarated and happy. It marked our first year together-and our habit of helping the other one conquer a fear and do something big.
This is how 5 years after meeting Paul, we live on a boat together. We cross seas together. We sail at night and swim in the ocean and look for the southern cross. We dream about the oceans we’ll cross. The acts of love we show for each other by being brave for the other one, these have expanded our life into an adventure I never could have planned. Paul makes me braver, and he makes my world bigger.
Happy Night Dive Day to all,
Lindsay
TIBURON MARINO 