Amy Lu's View

For the second installment of my Frog and Toad Blog Challenge, I will “dive” into the story, A Swim (yes, I went there).

It’s a wonderfully weird little story. Toad is self-conscious about others seeing him in his “bathing” suit (Frog swims naked) and of course that results in a bunch of animals wanting to see Frog in his bathing suit.

First, let me say that I can’t swim. Feel free to gasp or whatever you need to do. (Even more shockingly, I don’t now how to ride a bike. This probably helps explain why I’m into running–not that many other recreational physical activities are open to me).

My inability to swim is not due to lack of effort–or at least not on my mother’s part. She took me to years and years of swimming lessons at the local lake during the summer. I even took them again as an adult (thanks Sarajo for being my swim lesson buddy). I’m not afraid of the water, and can float and doggy paddle, but I certainly wouldn’t call what I do swimming.

And yes, Chad can swim and was even a lifeguard when we met. And no, he has never ever ever ever tried to teach me to swim which is a very good idea because if he had, I don’t think there would be a Chamy.

I’m not sure why I never actually learned to swim–that probably requires a level of psychoanalyis far outside of the realm of this modest blog. Let’s just acknowledge and accept that I can’t swim.

I can, however, wear a swimsuit.

Like most people at some point in life, I HAVE been afraid of wearing a swimsuit (this may have been a factor in not learning to swim). This may seem a dubious claim in light of the photos I have posted on Facebook of me in a bikini, but the world was very different pre-Facebook. And perhaps I’ve been over-compensating for all the times I would barely venture out in the world in a swimsuit.

Donning a swimsuit is often still stressful, but mostly for practical reasons, such as, can I even find where I’ve stored a swimsuit? And do I have one that I could actually go in the water in, or can I only access a suit that is mostly just for fashion?

I did have a spectacular swimsuit wardrobe malfunction many moons ago when my mother and I visited my brother and his wife in Hawaii. Okay, I didn’t actually lose the top of my swimsuit–thankfully it was a one-piece–but the ocean waves did pull it down while I was boogie boarding. Eventually I realized my brother’s frantic hand gestures meant “get back under the water and pull your swimsuit up!”

Which bring me back to Frog and Toad…the swim story never addresses why Toad wears a swimsuit and Frog doesn’t. I guess that’s not what is important. What’s important is that people should do what they need to–swimsuit or no swimsuit.

But doing what you need to do doesn’t mean that you won’t look silly or that your friends won’t laugh at you–for good reason. A Swim is radical because there is no moment where Frog or the animal community or even just Toad realize that he actually looks good, or at least okay, or even endearingly eccentric, in his swimsuit.

Nope. Everyone, even Frog, laughs at Toad, becuase he DOES look funny in his swimsuit.

“I am laughing at you, Toad,” said Frog, because you DO look funny in your bathing suit.”

“Of course I do,” said Toad. Then he picked up his clothes and went home.

Sometimes we are going to be ridiculous. (And sometimes we will laugh at our friends and loved ones when they are ridiculous.

I can’t help wondering why Toad felt he needed to wear a bathing suit, though. Did he want to cover up gang tattoos?