“You swim like a
guy!” My coach exclaimed. “What does a guy swim
like?” I sputtered in the chlorinated
saltwater through foggy goggles. “A guy swims with
upper body strength.” “Coach, I swim that
way because everything below my equator is jacked up!” I cried. It was a truthful
joke. There is truth to every joke. This was just about
the first encounter my coach and I had back in 2012 to train for the 2012
Transplant Games of America. This was
before I was down about 20 pounds with brand new artificial materials to my hip
joint and an open-cut hysterectomy that was at least my third or more (lost
count at this point) open cut right in my abdomen again. This was before I could jump in the water
and keep on jumping in just because I felt a natural rush and high on
life. This was before I was just
starting to feel in over 30 years of my life rather confident, comfortable,
and, dare I say, connected with my rather stubborn body with my even more
stubborn self that we would work together rather than against each other as we
had for so many years. Fast forward to
now. 2016. My below equator legs and knees are being
challenged and pushed to territories that I never even thought of
entering. For the first time in my 33
years of my life, I am feeling in sync and in love with my body that is
entering AND enjoying this time of my life of extraneous activities in the
water. Now, I can’t
stop. I am like a little
kid again. I can’t get enough of
endlessly jumping in the water and sitting dives. I even get a blast of jubilation from the
unintended belly flops (intended for diving) that leave me splotchy, red, and
stinging. Like a wet puppy, I start
squealing to the lifeguards who have become my best friends, a couple of my
swim buddies, and even to random strangers on the pool deck: “Do you want to
see me jump in the water? Do you want to
see me jump in the water? Oh, let’s jump
in together! WHOOOOOOO-WEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!” Now, though, reality
is sinking in that for me to actually reach my dream of diving into the water,
I have to turn to my two Double F (Fat and Flat) feet that fit in 5 ½ wide
width shoes and that have been deemed cute and plump. Now, I had to strengthen my feet and work
even harder. Turning to my feet and
toe-sies are a mind-bending concept to me because, throughout my life, I’ve
always focused on my legs and particularly hips and lower back. Now, my coach was instructing that I needed
to focus on these feet that I never gave much thought to. My wish to dive was dependent on these
pudgy feet that held up 4’11” of me. Yet, this wish was not completely and solely (pardon the pun) dependent on my feet. In this month-long process and progress thus far, my body has changed. I can now bend all the way down until my fingertips touch all the way down to my feet; I was never able to do this. Shirt sleeves around my arms are tighter and on my belly that is tightening up are looser from what I am shocked to see what appears to be muscles. Most of all, mentally, I am happier and more confident from the endorphins that dance delightfully pre, during, and post swim. So, this is where I
am now for to dive: “Metamorphosis”--I am
on that absolute verge of diving and while my mind says I am ready, my body is
saying I am not just yet. I’ve had to
re-learn many things in my life again and again from surgeries: bathing,
walking, dressing, driving, and core and posture strengthening. In all those
times, I was immensely doubtful and seethed with exasperation that my body
would never come around to match my mind that rushes at lightning speed of gusto,
but, somehow, my body always came through.
It has and will always be that it will take my body a little longer for
me to get where I intend to get to.
There aren’t any shortcuts. There
is no easy way about it. If it is too
easy then it isn’t worth it—and it is never valued and treasured as much. Easy
is not better because you cheat yourself of learning and that harder that will
make you stronger. Metamorphosis, my
friends, are those changes that occur mentally and physically to bring them
together and when you are about to give up and when frustration and the fight
floods you only to have faith that greatness awaits and the sweetest flavor of
unsurpassed and unmatched victory is tasted from all the hard work and fight to
make the dream into an reality. I’m embracing
metamorphosis. Every time I am on
the edge now to gaze at my toes and the silken silent water, I can hear my coach’s
muffled voice carry over to echo in my head through my plugged ears, “You know
when you are in the water and push your feet off from the wall? You need to now focus and feel your feet take
off and push off for diving.” I’m trying so hard to
‘feel my feet.’ I’m strengthening my feet with rocking and tippy toe exercise
and drills of pushing my feet off the wall.
I’m jumping as far as I can out into the water that I can reach all the
way ‘out there.’ I break out into a
smile when I see my ten bright pink chipped painted toenails from a pedicure I
treated myself back in February that even if no one believes in me (and I am
one of these extremely blessed people that have so many people who support and
believe in me) that I will believe in myself and have faith in my body and the
metamorphosis process that is laced with frustration, struggles, aggravation, exasperation,
and doubt that eventually everything will click and victory is mine to taste
with a flavor ever so sweeter because I fought for it, owned it, and made it
mine. What metamorphosis
have you purposefully and personally experienced to push yourself? How do we bring together mental and
physical? When have you wanted to give
up only to make you even more driven?
What victories have you had that have tasted so sweet after what seemed
like the never-ending fight and struggle?
Keep smilin’ until we meet
again, Mary ;-) |
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