You ever hear those stories of people who said they learned to swim by being thrown in the water as a little kid and we’re a natural and the rest is history? Those are the people who you see at the local pool all summer long, swimming like a fish. Some even take it further and spend their water adventures swimming and diving in lakes and even the more advanced, in oceans. They seem to know how to keep above water when there’s no bottom in sight. Treading water looks so graceful and almost, magical. Those of you whose fear of the water still hangs close know what I’m talking about.
When I was a kid, I remember taking swim lessons at the local YMCA. The cold pool water, the cold walk from the locker room to the pool and the shivers of waiting your turn to swim all made the swimming experience quite literally painful for me. As someone who is cold in nature this only made me associate swimming with being in pain. I didn’t exactly have a growth mindset as a kid, and eventually I wrote off swimming as it just wasn’t for me.
That was at about 7 years old. I’ve only gotten in the shallow end of water a few times since then. That is, until now. At the start of 2024, I decided at 27 years old it was time to face my water fears. Opportunities to swim just kept coming up all around me, most recently my next door neighbor building an in ground pool… and get this, it’s a heated pool. Maybe if I had an opportunity to learn to swim in a heated pool, my experience would produce a better outcome?
So I signed up for adult swim lessons. After researching some local adult swim lessons, I found one that offered indoor lessons in a heated pool. I never knew such a thing existed near me. Well, it didn’t until about 5 years ago so I don’t feel as bad.
My first day doing the lessons, it was already a more pleasant experience. The water was so warm i couldn’t believe it. I was just waiting for the shivers to take over my body and for my teeth to start trembling… but it never happened. Immediately, I was comfortable. During the first lesson, my instructor tested my swimming ability, both freestyle and back stroke. She said I already knew how to swim. This makes sense I guess when you think about it. I took lessons as a kid and it dawned on me, I never failed to learn to swim, I failed to enjoy swimming and therefore overtime, I just took it as I couldn’t swim. The mind is a powerful thing.
So far I’m 5 weeks into the 6 week class and I just completed my most accomplished pool session yet. I swam the full length of the pool two times, (don’t ask me the length of the pool but it’s decent size), doing the back stroke. I couldn’t believe it. This was by far my favorite time in the water ever. Being on my back was somewhat peaceful and relaxing but also fun. When I tell you I really couldn’t believe what I was doing that is an understatement. Now I don’t write all this to just brag about myself or to point out that, I knew how to swim already I was just too chicken to ever put it to use, but to hopefully give someone else the push out there to try it themselves. I’ve met so many people over the years, mainly adults, but kids too even, that wishes they could swim. Wishes they would’ve learned, or could get over their fear of the pool. Some people may have learned to swim and then had a bad experience that shut them off for years. Whatever the situation, they still long for the water in some way. I was the same way. Maybe all it takes is a warmer pool, or a more patient instructor, or knowing that you aren’t the only one. If you have access to a pool and wish you could utilize it or enjoy it with your friends and family, I encourage you to try again! 🙂
Love,
Pen and Page Journey 