8th Swimming Lesson

I started swimming in December 2007. I remember making good progress after the second lesson – I could float, and move forward with and without the float. I was overjoyed. Unfortunately, I didn’t progress much after that. My performance seemed to degrade in the 3rd and 4th lessons. I began to be more fearful. In my 5th lesson, I noted in my journal that I managed 3 strokes without the float. It was a small achievement.

The 6th and 7th lessons were almost one month apart. I was struggling with my hands and legs coordination. My coach, Jason was encouraging and said that the coordination has improved- perhaps slightly. The kicks were much stronger and my body on the surface was straight. I still couldn’t coordinate the breathing.

Last Saturday was my 8th swimming lesson. I was really excited about it. After work (KBU had a Mini Open Day), I went home, packed and headed towards the club. Thank God that it didn’t rain. I didn’t know what to expect. I just followed instructions and watched the kids who were much ahead of me in their progress. I was reminded of the statement “I can do ALL things through Christ”. Yes, indeed God has helped me.

When Jason asked me to try to move towards him WITHOUT the float, I panicked. I have been holding onto the float for the past few lessons. My heart was beating really fast each time I tried. There was a mix feeling – excited and scared. To my surprise, I could do it, and each time I managed a longer distance. Jason kept on saying, “Don’t worry. I’ll be in front of you.” He was really encouraging and kept on saying, “Good.”

The next instruction seems like an impossible task for me – Move my hands. I was doubtful of my own ability. The first few attempts were disastrous. But yet, Jason said it was a good try. I managed bit by bit. First, only the right hand. Then, Jason said that I was actually ready to move the left hand. In the second, trial, I did. Woohoo! I moved right, and followed by left and I didn’t even fall into the pool. When I first moved my right hand, I felt that I was falling but then, I could focus on the kicking and continue to move. Even though I didn’t manage to ‘draw big circles’ with my hands, it was still cool.

I swam towards Seng Chor and Jordan, and both of them clapped their hands. It was another milestone in my swimming. It’s a miracle!