12 | June• 2018
the swim. Volunteers on their
boards ensured my safety, one even
suggested swimming techniques.
AsIwonderedifIwouldever
inish, I counted my strokes,
knowing that my determination
would see me through.
As I edged closer to the shore,
IbecameawareofhowcoldIwas.
hen,inally,afteragruelling
60 minutes or so, my feet touched
thesandybottom.Mylegswerelike
jelly and my knees buckled beneath
me.Ieasedmyselfoutofthewaterfor
the slow jog to the inish line. Words
of encouragement reached my ears.
With the inish line in sight,
Iraisedmyarmsinvictory.Iwas
the last swimmer to inish the one-
kilometreswim,butwhocares?
IDIDIT.Iwasexcited,exhausted
butmostimportantly,proud,that
I had achieved what I thought was
impossible: conquering the ocean.theoceanturningita
sapphire blue. It was a
magicalsummer’sday.
To m y d e l i g h t t he o c e a n
wasjustasIhadhoped–
and prayed. No foaming
or crashing shore dumps,
butasoft,unbroken
swellthatcreptleisurely
towards the beach,
breaking gently on the wet sand.
herewasabuzzintheairasthe
participants, a sea of colour, from the
veryyoungtotheveryold,prepared
for the start. When the starter’s gun
ired,thepacksurgedtowardsthe
water, some running at full speed,
others more cautious, me a bundle
of nerves.
Wading through the water, my
heartwasinmymouthbutIwas
atthepointofnoreturn.Myarms
stroked, my legs kicked, one, two,
three, take a breath, one, two, three,
takeabreath.SlowlyIgotintoa
rhythm. A nagging doubt entered my
mind,“WillIovercomethefearofthe
ocean,willIsucceed?”
Asoneoftheslowerswimmersat
thebackofthepack,IrealisedIwas
nolongerafraid.Iwassurroundedby
people encouraging me, looking out
forme.Tomysurprise,Iwasactually
enjoying myself: the water, so clean,
socrystalclear;Icouldseesmall
coloured ish below and I felt at one
with nature.
My pool instructor appeared
periodically, willing me to complete
Do you have a tale to tell? We’ll pay
cash for any original and unpublished
story we print. See page ȎȎ for details
on how to contribute.DeniseStrong,secondfromleft,andher
girlfriends, dubbed the ‘Six Pack’MY STORY