Personal Victory

Amazingly, it took only four months of weekly lessons to meet my ultimate swimming goal last weekend: I dove in the water (literally) from a standing position and swam a full lap without stopping...you know, like a real swimmer!

(I'll admit it took me a loooong time to make the aforementioned dive, I mean, I almost needed to be pushed in the water, but I (eventually) did it!)

The previous two weeks I could swim only halfway before running out of steam and flopping onto my back to float the rest of the way, so finally being able to swim from end to end after months of struggling to conquer aquaphobia in all of its various guises and perform even the most basic swimming techniques made the accomplishment even sweeter. 

Last Saturday, despite the exhaustion of performing multiple standing dives that became full laps, I told myself there was no way in hell I was stopping...not for exhaustion, not for half a gallon of water in my nose and mouth, not for a leg cramp, or anything else...before I reached the end of the pool. (I might have even imagined Jaws was nipping at my heels, but whatever works, right?)

It's fair and truthful to say that when I began swimming lessons in July, I seriously questioned whether I'd ever be able to do that. When I couldn't put my face in the water and blow a proper bubble, I considered giving up. I was determined not to, but I didn't want to waste my time and money on a hopeless cause. (And my futile attempts at swimming seemed like a hopeless cause for several weeks.) 

Thankfully, I've been blessed with an amazing instructor (and I'm not just saying that because she inexplicably handed me a box of heavenly Hawaiian chocolates in the locker room afterwards, though she did!) who pushed me beyond what I felt capable of doing every stinking week, which made all the difference in the world. Sure, I didn't like her very much (to say the least) when she forced me (just short of kicking and screaming) into the deep end when I barely felt comfortable in the shallow end. I think I knew in the back of mind, though, that someday I'd appreciate her tough love. Well, that day was last Saturday, and every day since then. And because of that, I feel a surge of confidence. 

In addition to the standing dives and lap swimming, Nancy, purely for fun and giggles, I'm sure, decided to have me dive for plastic rings and, eventually, a five-pound brick. Again, it took a long time for me to muster enough courage to go under to retrieve these items (and I might have pretended I was competing in a "Survivor" immunity challenge, for extra motivation, while doing so), and Nancy nearly did push me underwater, but the victory is always in doing something scary, even if it's slow and less than perfect.

Because of mastering these milestones, I truly feel I can do just about anything (short of singing well or winning the Olympics). After all, four months ago, I couldn't put my head underwater due to an overwhelming fear of drowning. Now I can dive underwater for several seconds at a time. Four months ago, I couldn't float or swim a single stroke. Now I can swim laps. For me, it's an amazing personal victory over fear. 

 

I'll continue swimming lessons through the end of this year to sharpen my technique, but anything else I accomplish is just a bonus. I've already exceeded my expectations a hundred times over.

A Stunner

The new flooring has (finally) been installed, my apartment has been transformed, and I couldn't possibly be happier with the finished product.

The floors are absolutely gorgeous! But more than that, they look and feel like real hardwood flooring, though much lower maintenance and far less expensive. They're sturdy, a far cry from the flimsy wallpaper-like flooring that was previously in my kitchen and bathroom. (It was the cheapest flooring on the market, I'd be willing to wager.) 

My apartment looks and feels like a different apartment. It's so elegant, classy, and homey (instead of homely). It's exactly the result I wanted. I now have a home that I feel proud to call my own. I no longer have to feel ashamed of stained, dirty, cheap, worn-out flooring that was there when I moved in (and God only knows how many years before then). 

Before

After

Now that the renovations are done, I can say they were well worth the time, stress, and expense they required, including the flooring installation, which confined me (literally) to my bedroom for four hours. The inconvenience, not to mention the financial expense itself, which initially held me back, was nothing compared to the happiness and pride I feel every time I look at my new floors (and I can't help looking at them continuously to make sure they really are there and it really is my apartment they are installed in).

My shabby, mousy little apartment has become a stunner. I've always seen and appreciated its charm and inner beauty, of course, but I'm ecstatic that its outer appearance now matches that beauty. The transformation is complete.