Just Keep Swimming

I have always loved swimming and water sports, but I was slightly nervous for this day. In order to gain the swimming merit badge and progress to the next scouting rank, I had to dive to the bottom of an artificial lake at Camp Shenandoah and retrieve a small weight from the bottom. Beforehand, I had dived down halfway and saw a large school of fish swimming right under the dock. Additionally, one of my close friends cut his foot on a rock resting on the bottom the day before. To make matters worse, the visibility of the water became worse the deeper I swam.

I waited the entire length of the class to take my turn and dive into the water. Before my instructor asked me to be tested, I took another test dive into the water. Instantly, I oriented my body and started swimming downward. Soon, the water become extremely cold and I couldn’t see anything in front of me through my squinted eyes. Running out of oxygen, I returned to the surface of the water without a speck of dirt in my hand. This failure made me even more nervous for my actual testing.

During the whole swimming merit badge class, I had to deal with a new feeling: uncertainty. Even though I was on a swim team back home and was normally comfortable in bodies of water, this murky-brown lake was something I was not at ease with. I felt like I wasn’t really taking advantage of my skills as a swimmer, and that the other students were progressing faster than myself. Dejected, I dreaded the moment I would be tested.

Finally, it was my turn to be assessed on my ability to retrieve a small brick from the diving section of the lake that varied between ten and fifteen feet deep. After the instructor threw the brick off the dock, I took a deep breath and jumped into the water. Time seemed to slow down as I headed towards the darkness of the lower lake. As soon as the water grew cold, I thought about returning to the surface. I shook this thought off and kept swimming. Then, in the blurry water, I noticed several fish. Again, I panicked and thought of returning to the surface. Right before I had to turn around, I noticed a large red brick just a few feet away. With my goal so close, I kept swimming down. I grabbed the object, kicked off the bottom of the water, and swam back to the surface.

After I came out of the water, I took several deep breaths and reveled in my success. I had accomplished something when it counted by swimming with a goal. I believed that I had accomplished the feat by being able to see my goal at the end. Seeing my goal drove me to keep swimming, and this is something I have used since in life. Whenever I am unsure of myself in a challenge, I try to visualize the end goal and “swim” towards that. Seeing myself obtain my goals can help drive me during the difficult parts of life. To me, I have realized that I can accomplish many things as long as I just keep swimming.

Image Credits:

Image Provided by Rob Purdie