Swimming
SWIMMING
Grandma Moses said, "And life is what we make it. Always has been, always will be." I began swimming in 1991 and am still not done. Throughout the many months, days, and hours I have spent swimming I have enjoyed every single moment. It had never crossed my mind why I swim or even what made me start. I suppose the reasons to start swimming were quite simple; my sister swam and it was fun. I soon learned that swimming is as much a mental activity as it is physical. Swimming is now and always will be fun until the end, but it's the mindset and attitude that gets me to the wall first.
It was fun; as simple as that. No extreme choice was made, challenge met or change occurred. It was just plain and simple fun. I have been blessed with outstanding coaches who have challenged me throughout my long lived swimming expedition. Sophomore year, those challenges were too strong. This was a time in my life where the last thing I wanted to do was get up at 4:30am in the middle of January and swim outside. So, one day I decided not to. My decision that morning haunted me for the rest of the day. How could I let something that has been such and important part of me just slip thought my fingers? The answer I eventually found, although it took many days that turned into many months, which required many hours of endless thinking. I decided to continue swimming. I would soon realize, two years down the line that this was the wisest decision I have ever made.
It is now two years down the line and I am facing college. My dream has been to swim in college for a division I school for as long as I can remember. Now if never before, will be the time when I'll need my self assurance to make the right decisions. A Greek proverb states there is nothing permanent except change. Swimming is all about changing. Changing my outlook, training, and stokes are what got me though the toughest part of my life. When things around us...
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