A couple of weeks ago I started taking beginning swim lessons. (What, did you think this title was a metaphor?) I’m in my mid-forties and have survived just fine so far on the theory of just not going in water that’s deeper than my head, but my daughter started swim lessons the week before, and the place she’s going takes adults too, so okay, fine, it’s a thing we can do together. Maybe you’re reading this and you’re an adult non-swimmer wondering what it’s like to learn these new tricks as an old dog, or maybe you’re a lifelong swimmer with morbid fascination about how someone manages to avoid learning to swim for that long in the first place.