Personal Essay
"Damn. The shore looks far away," I tell myself as I furiously tread water in the middle of the lake just to stay a float. Exhausted and tired, I gaze from side to side and realize that I am dead in the middle of it. I see the beach that I have spent every summer on peacefully to my left, the docks bobbing up and down with the waves to my right and the mountains that we hike up every year. However, the place has now become a terror. As I look around, the shore appears to be just as far away in every direction. Beneath me is nothing but water. "What did I get myself into?" I ask. On the shore it looked like it would be a simple swim. "I'm just going to swim to the docks, I'll meet you guys over there,"
"You sure?"
"Psh only two miles? Anybody could do that. It will be no problem. Fifteen minutes..tops." I told myself.
What I thought would be a short swim from the beach to the docks, has now become a struggle for my life.
"Which way should I go? Will I make it? Will anybody look for me if I don't make it?" These questions kept flying through my head.
As I move slowly towards the docks. Stroke, kick, stroke, kick. I keep pushing forward. All my limbs feel as if they are being dragged down to the bottom of the lake. My legs are tired, my arms are sore and my breaths are reduced. Every stroke becomes more difficult than the last. I alternate from breast stroke to freestyle to back stroke to just floating on my back for a rest. I keep on swimming. I start singing the song from Finding Nemo. "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming swimming. What do you do? You swim swim swim" I keep singing it as I slowly get closer.
I can see the docks as I come closer. I can almost feel them. The touch of solid ground beneath my feet seems so close. I keep swimming onward. I can see them getting closer and closer. I reach my hand out.
"Ahhh, not there yet"
Two strokes later I reach out again. I try to pull myself out of the water, but my arms are too weak. I collapse back into the water. Taking a deep breath I tell myself, "You can do it."
I try again, with all my strength I pull myself up and lay face down on the dock. Laying there I realize that I had no idea what I was getting myself into, and wishing I had someone with me. I managed to get myself back through perseverance and following a plan. Even if the plan was as simple as "just keep swimming, swimming,"