Growing up in Southern California, my childhood summers involved endless hours in the pool and several years on a local swim team. (My siblings and I were part fish :-).) \n\nMy last year on the team included the high dive. It was a bazillion feet high and filled me with terror. I could have opted out, but no one else did and my 12-year-old self didn\u2019t want to be a baby.\n\nSomehow I found the courage to climb that towering ladder week after week, but I was never brave enough to actually dive.