But she pushed me..

I absolutely LOVE swimming. There is something so relaxing about water just caressing your skin and carrying you. I feel light as a feather, and simply - free.

But it wasn't always that way.

Though I have always loved water - I still remember how scared I was learning how to swim as a child.

Just recently, my niece began swimming lessons. She is 5 (which would make her about 2 years older than I was when I learned to swim.) Apparently she is taking (excuse the pun) to it like a fish in water. When I called home the other day, she was so excited to tell me about it.

"Auntie Cole, guess what?" Of course she barely gave me a chance to answer, " I went swimming today.. and I put my face underwater. It was fun."

I just smiled. I am thrilled to hear this. My little niece seems to be fearless, and that is what I want for her. See, I grew up with a fairly neurotic mother, who in turn received most of her phobias and fears from her mother .. and the pattern goes. My mom never learned to swim until she was well into her late 20's early 30's. She still does not go under water. Her mother never swam, because she witnessed her little brother drown in the Gulf of Mexico.

I got my first taste of "real" swimming in the summer of my 1st grade year of school. I went to Girl Scout camp in Lizella, Georgia - Camp Martha Johnston. Each summer, on your first day of camp, you were given a swimming test. I was TERRIFIED. You were given either a red necklace (which looked like a REALLY big hair twisty) a green, or a black. Red meant beginner, Green meant intermediate, and black meant advanced.

I was a red. I don't think I even swam. I probably just got in the water and said - 'I don't know how.'

However, by the end of the week, I was swimming! My instructors were amazing. Each summer, I would take swimming  classes for 6 years. Do you know what? I eventually got a black necklace!

One of the top instructors in our community made a comment to my mother once, "When she swims, she does not splash  - she simply glides and cuts through the water." Mom joked and said it was probably from my ballet classes.

The only SCARY moment I ever had was jumping off the diving board. I was just terrified. I was probably 10. I remember standing there in my swimming class, the instructor was yelling at me to jump in. I just could not get my legs to cooperate. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, she pushes me in.

Obviously, once I hit the water I was confused, I stayed down below a little longer than usual - and came up screaming and in tears. After an embarrassing episode, I calmed down. I DID NOT want to go back to class the next day.

But I had to. I had no choice. Though, I was traumatized.

The next day, it was time to confront the diving board again. The instructor looked at me, with this fierce gaze, "Nicki (that's what they called me back then,) I will come and push you off that thing again. I don't care how angry you get." I looked at her with the deepest, darkest glare I could summon. Raised my arms and dove into that pool - perfectly.

I was shaken to the core - but I took a leap of faith.

 I think that was one of the first times I ever just TRIED something,  regardless of my fear, and realized - just do it.

Thank God for faith.

And I am pleased as punch that Autumn, my niece, will hopefully not have the same fears.