I Want to Be a Mermaid

During my childhood summers in Florida, I spent every day on the beach or pool hopping with my friends (not always legally, but more fun trying a strangers pool or those at fancy hotels on St. Pete Beach). My friend Shirlann and I would pretend like we were mermaids and we were really good at swimming with our knees and ankles together like a dolphin. Like so many other little girls I thought for sure one day I would spot her, that mermaid in the surf. Maybe it would be just her tail as she dove, but I knew there was an underwater world full of mermaids.

Back in the early 80's before movies such as Splash and Disney's The Little Mermaid and before the days of mermaid Barbie dolls and costumes, we had little but our imaginations and books like Hans Christian Andersen's tragic story from 1836, The Little Mermaid. In the 30 years since I pretended to be a mermaid, there are many more books and movies out there for little girls who believe.

Here is one of them, Last Night I Swam With a Mermaid and the book trailer below. It's like watching myself on the beach looking for a mermaid...enjoy. (Image above is one of my favorites, John William Waterhouse's Mermaid)