My chest was heaving for air and I was trying to relax while clinging to the side of the pool. There were little kids swimming around like fish, while I was hanging unto the edge for dear life.
It all started back when I was a pre-teen. Since then I have always LOVED the water, especially pools! Water has always been so relaxing. Because of all my back problems, pools have been a place of relief for me. So while I was recovering from my surgeries in high school, my parents installed a LARGE above-ground pool in our backyard. It was 5ft deep but I could stand and be okay. It was soooo much fun. Some of my favorite memories involve that pool!
Ironically, I couldn't really swim. I did take some swimming lessons one summer but I never learned what I needed to. I could hold my breath and swim across the narrow part but then I would stand up and that would be the end of it. I never learned to come up for air and swim again. In fact, I had this fear of swimming in water that I could not stand in.
So as soon my kids were born, I looked into swim lessons for them. My 1 year old can float like a boat and my 3-year-old son can swim and rescue-float himself. It's pretty amazing. To get where they are now, they had to go through some intense lessons. There were lots of tears but now we see the result! They are like fish in the water.
I personally have always wanted to learn, and even more than that, I wanted to beat my fear. So this summer when I signed up my kiddos for lessons, I signed up myself too! I figured I shouldn't expect my kids to do something that I myself was not willing to do. So, there I was taking swim lessons and sneaking off to practice while my husband watched the kids.
It's been a journey. I have not reached where I would like to be, but the day finally came!
I knew I didn't have much time. The kids were sleeping and their daddy was home for only a short time. I had just enough time for a few laps. I decided that "TODAY was the day." I was going to swim half way across, take a breather and swim the other half. I had done the first half many times. I would swim and come up for air several times until I got half way. I was comfortable doing this because I knew I could still stand if I needed ot
So I did a little more then the first half and then swam to the side to get a breath. I couldn't stand at this point so, with my chest panting for air, I clung unto the side of the pool and breathed. Finally, a little girl came by and asked to go by. I knew that I needed to finish the job. So I took a deep breath and dove in. I swam and came up for breath a few times until I could almost touch the wall. It was a beautiful moment to reach out and grab the wall and know that I had finally done it.
29 years later, I beat the beast. I still have a lot to do. I want to get to the point where I am strong enough to do the full lap without resting, but I can now swim even when I can't touch the bottom! YAY!
It was a big day! What about you? Is there something you need to beat? Is there something you have always wanted to do? It's not too late. You're still breathing. Give it a try :-) - Rejoicing in the Present
Ps. Since writing the above post, I have become quite comfortable with the deep end. I am even "trying to learn" to do flips. :-) (It was a flop) ...so for now I think I will stick with Cannon Balls. :-)
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