Uncovering Wisdom in a 12feet Pool

I went for my first swimming lesson today after a long time; and by a long time, I mean almost ten years. It's not that I am completely unaware of how to wade through water, but let's just say I'd rather be doing it only in situations when I'm forced to save my life. That is my experience with swimming. I do it in rare situations so as to not die.

Anyway, I stood at the edge of the pool, too scared to get in. I mean, it was 12 feet deep. I don't mind dying but I'd rather not die with water flooding inside me. My instructor told me to get in. A strict as she was, I went down the steps. After a while she asked me to show her what I know. I stared at her. What if I drown? She told me to try so she could at least she what she had to teach. Grudgingly, I complied.

After years, I swam with all I had towards the nearest support, after which I looked nothing less thana person who had just faced death. My eyes wide open, I looked at her accusingly. My instructor looked at me with a confused expression and simply said "Why are you going so fast? You're not drowning." That sentence hit me somewhere. I wasn't drowning. Hmm. Could that be true? That was interesting. I wasn't drowning. It sunk in further. In about a minute, the chord struck and changed everything.
Not just about swimming. 

I had been swimming all my life as though I would drown any second. I wouldn't stop to breathe. I wouldn't even enjoy the fact that I was actually wading through water. I was just running away from the moment of time which was me being in the water.

And then I realised something more. Somewhere all of us, at some point, start living our lives like we're drowning. We go faster than required, flap around just to not drown. You know what that does? It tires you.

Once I realised I was swimming way too fast because of my fear of drowning, I slowed down. I took half the amount of strokes. I realised I hadn't been breathing because of my fear. And all of that just made my muscles cry out in pain. Once I slowed down, I could breathe more freely. I could enjoy the moment of being in the water. I was no longer running away to the next moment where I wouldn't be in water.
All I had to do was slow down. I had no reason to be afraid. There was a wall next to me, an instructor in the pool, a lifeguard outside and a tiny floater on my back too. I would not drown. Help always does find its way to you. Once I slowed down, I enjoyed the water like I'd never done before.

We're not drowning in life. And if at any point you feel you are, you need to slow down. You need to breathe at the pace you're supposed to. You too will find your floater and lifeguard. Swim at the right pace and you will be fine. More than fine, you will be fantastic.  :)


PS: But my muscles? They still killed me for pushing them too hard at the start. They'll need a little bit longer to heal now. And that's how life works too. Once you've worked yourself too hard, it takes more effort to fix yourself.

So, slow down, You're not drowning. Don't just save yourself, swim it with a view. :)