Crystal Waters

I was just eight years old at that time, standing on the white and smooth pebble beach of my province as the sun shines brightly in the sky. Wearing my two-piece swimsuit with my arm floaties on and also wearing my cute purple colored goggles, ready for another warm sunny day at the beach.

I told my parents that I will be by the seashore, getting a nod and a response of “don’t get too far” from them. I look back to the sea where the sun is shining brightly on the water, making it look like millions of crystal. With a rush of excitement, I ran as fast as my little feet can towards the sea.

As I reach the crystal blue waters, I took a big leap with a gleeful shout before I hit the cool water with a large splash. I immediately resurface back with a loud gasp and start swimming around the cool shore, feeling happy and content with my arm floaties on to keep me safe from drowning.

Time passes by when I started to feel hungry. I swam back to the shore and went back to our hut as I am getting closer I start removing my arm floaties. When I reached the hut, I place my floaties to the side and went to the table with lots of food.

When I finished eating, I went back to the place where I placed my arm floaties, only to find them gone. Worried, I ask my mother where it is, only to find out that my brother took it because my younger cousin was using my brother’s.

With a disheartened look, I went back to the sea, without my arm floaties. As I slowly reached the crystal blue waters of the sea I look from afar to where my brother is happily playing with my younger cousin.

Feeling a bit jealous that they get to swim a little deeper from where I stood. I swim and swim until my little feet can’t touch the smooth pebbles and stay afloat a little longer than I usually do. I repeat this until I finally learn how to float, not perfectly but keeping myself afloat for a long time.

I try to go a little deeper and swim again however trying a different style. I turn around and gently lay back as if I am laying a bed and swim again, repeating this until I learn how to backstroke.

Happy with my accomplishment, I start to swim towards where my brother and my younger cousin are, where they are playing around with the water, floaties on keeping them afloat.

When I finally reach them, they look at me with a surprised look on their faces. My brother curiously asks.

“Wow, sis! How did you learn to swim?” Followed by another question together with my cousin.

“Did mom/uncle teach you?” They asked curiously. I just smile at them and said.

“No, I just start practising until I can stay afloat for a while.”

Since then, whenever we go on a trip where there is a massive body of water. I practice myself to swim to exceed my limit. I realized that I can’t always rely on things for me to learn something, I just have to let things go and do it by myself to learn that I can do it on my own.