In the twenty-something years that I have spent on this earth, I finally entered a swimming pool for the very first time this year, in October. It still makes me laugh because I’ve always told anyone who cared to listen that “I feel like I will know how to swim.” I was so confident for absolutely no reason. I had never stepped foot in a pool before, yet in my head, I had already imagined how I would glide, the strokes I would use, and how effortlessly I would move like those people that swim as if they were born in water.
So when my cousin suggested that we should go swimming, I didn’t even think twice. I was completely down for it. It was going to be my first time, but definitely not my cousin’s. In my mind, I was prepared for greatness. Or so I thought.
To cut the long story short, we changed and entered the pool. The moment my feet touched the water, I felt this rush of excitement, like I was finally doing something new, something I had talked about but never tried. There was a lifeguard/instructor in the pool with us, so in my head that was extra assurance. I still told my cousin, with full chest, that I felt I would be able to swim. Then I confidently pushed my body fully into the water.
People of God! my entire life flashed before my eyes in less than two seconds. I started drowning immediately. Water entered my nose, my mouth, everywhere. I couldn’t find my balance, I couldn’t float, I couldn’t get myself back to the surface, nothing. I was just there, fighting for my life like a confused fish. The lifeguard and my cousin rushed to me and pulled me up. I came out laughing at myself but also shaking because, truly, what just happened? If those two people weren’t there, I honestly believe I would have drowned on my first attempt.
Everything happened in like a minute or even less, but the impact was heavy. I climbed out of the pool immediately to catch my breath and let out all the water that had forcefully entered my nostrils. I was humbled. Deeply humbled. That experience made me realize how much of a real skill swimming actually is. It’s not something you “just know.” It’s something you learn and practice. Strangely, that moment also made me desire to actually learn how to swim properly.
Since then, we’ve gone back to that pool a couple more times, but I still cannot confidently say I know how to swim. I still cannot float on my own. I can survive in the shallow part of the pool without floaters, but once we start talking about the deep end? Please, I will hold my floaters with pride. Without them, I will drown, and I know it.
Honestly, I don’t even know if what I’ve learned so far would save me in a real-life situation. Maybe the will to live would push me. Maybe adrenaline would take over. But right now, confidence is not on my side. Still, learning how to swim properly is going straight to the bucket list I’m about to create for myself. I owe it to myself to know how to survive in water.