By: Emery R.
In May, I
made one of the biggest decisions of my life thus far: choosing to quit
swimming and devote myself to running full time; cross country in the fall, and
track in the spring. To many people, it might not seem to be that big of a
deal. After all, what’s one exercise for another? To me however, it was
monumental.
I have been
in the pool since I was six months old. My mother began by taking me to the
infant swim lessons held at the nearest YMCA, and then signed me up for swim
lessons every year, until the age of 11, when I made my first foray into the
world of competitive swimming. Eventually, at the start of eighth grade, I
joined my first and last serious, year-round club, which I practiced with until
the aforementioned four months ago, when I made the choice to leave.
During my
first two years of high school, I had split my time between running and
swimming. It was a stressful balancing act, and I knew that I needed to pick
between the two before 11th grade, a decision that I had dreaded since freshman
year. There were many factors that contributed to my choice, but it ultimately
boiled down to the question of what I enjoyed more. As it turned out, no matter
how many times I reminded myself that I had focused on swimming for my entire
life, I could not deny that I had fallen in love with running. And so, I traded
the pool for tracks and trails.
I do not
regret that decision at all. Swimming was a huge part of my identity, and in
some ways it still is. I felt like it was one of the things that made me
unique, and that parting with it would mean parting with some integral piece of
myself. But I don’t begin and end at whichever sport I participate in. I am my
ethics; I am my values; I am my strongly-worded opinions; I am the choices I
make; I am the joy of reading; I am my love for my family and my family’s love
for me; I am so much more than just a sport.
Swimming is only a small percentage of who I am, and it didn’t actually
feel like I was losing anything when I left. My sense of self hasn’t been
completely derailed, and in fact, I feel more “me” than ever. I’ve gained a new
team, I’ve gained more muscle, but most importantly, I’ve gained happiness. The
girl who runs is radiant, and I am proud that I chose to be her.
The lesson here is to be active in your own life; don’t just be a
passenger or a Sim. Seize the day and do what you want to do. Don’t keep doing
something just because you’ve been doing it your entire life; change can be
rewarding. It might feel like a large part of your identity now, but I can tell
you, from personal experience, that if you’re choosing happiness, what you gain
far outweighs what you lose.
No comments:
Post a Comment