Open Letter to Your Community

To the members in my scuba diving community:

During this term, Fall 2012, I chose to take the class, Understanding Communities.  This class has opened my mind in a variety of ways.  From learning more of what a community is, to how communities are connected throughout the world.  Not only did I find communities that I am involved in, but I found communities that I have been connected to throughout my life and never saw them before.  Going back as far as my childhood neighborhood for one of my first communities.  There was always so much to learn and so much to to do with the members within that community. 

Other communities have been through sports and music.  Currently, it is my scuba diving community.  I would not be in this community if it was not for my fiance, Brandon, due to my fear of sharks, breathing under water, and being claustrophobic.  Thankfully, I was able to overcome those fears for love.  Not only did I find a stronger love for Brandon, but I also found a love for the hobby of scuba diving and the members in which love it too.  Throughout this class I have grown founder of my fellow scuba divers.  My relationship has changed in a way that brings me closer to each person within this community.  I have realized what each members has brought to me individually and as a group.  You have brought me the skill of loving and trust.  Unfortunately they are two skills I tend to forget.

I look forward to future dives because each time I enter the water I know I have to love and trust the hobby and dive buddy I am with.  Whether it is a love of emotion or friendship, it is still a love.  I do not see this going away in the future and I only hope to spread the feeling and skill to any new scuba divers that join the community as experienced divers have done for me.  I would also love to create more awareness of the adventures us, scuba divers, go on.  A few group members have special under water photography equipment that allows pictures to be taken, but if there was a way to show these pictures and actually capture the moments of what it is like underwater, I believe more people would join any scuba community and possibly begin thinking about the world differently as I have thanks to all of you. 

After a few months of being in the scuba diving community, I feel at peace with the world around me.  If only the world could be at peace with itself.  For the feeling you all allowed me to have, I thank each and every one of you individually and as a whole.  No sports team or band has ever allowed me to feel that way or even think about feeling that way.  To be part of a community where winning does not matter, where there is no first place, and where it does not pay to be the fastest, is the best thing a community could ever do.  I hope that I can bring something half as good to the community in return for what they have given me.  My hope in doing my part is that I can show one other person what I have learned from this community so that one person can share it with some one else.  One by one we may be able to show the world what only a scuba diver feels and sees.

Thank you for all you have done and given me,

Heather Phinney