I’ve always loved the ocean, so beautiful and full of life. How many times have I dreamt of swimming in the clear, blue Mediterranean, splashing about with my lover, the salty water licking our lips, our legs intertwining below the surface? There is only one problem with my harlequin romance: I can’t swim and I am deathly afraid of being in the water.
I have spent so many summers sitting on my blanket looking longingly at my children and all the other beach-goers doing what I secretly desired to do. I knew I needed to get over my fear of the water, or my dream would never come true. After all, when I did get to the Mediterranean, did I really believe I was just going to jump in and magically start swimming? I did not want to still be sitting on that blanket watching every one else live my dream.
So this past November, at 44 years of age, I finally decided to take swimming lessons. I figured I just needed a few lessons to get over my fear and then I could just take it from there. Swimming didn’t look all that hard; besides, I didn’t want to be Michael Phelps. I just wanted to be able to tread water and swim about a little bit. After all, my lover (who happens to be a great swimmer) was going to be right next to me. He would be my life vest, just in case.
At my first lesson, I learned how to put my head under the surface without water going up my nose (I don’t know why my kids didn’t share this valuable piece of information). This made a world of difference for me. I didn’t feel like I was going to drown so I was able to concentrate on learning all the basics and the different swim strokes. I never thought, at my age, I would learn to overcome one of my biggest fears and in doing so find a new workout regimen I love.
It has been 3 ½ months since that first lesson and I can proudly say that I am now a swimmer. Although I may never become an Olympic swimmer, I now realize how physically challenging swimming really is. I have already signed up for a swim fit class and I am sure that when I get to the Mediterranean, my blanket will be empty and my lover (no longer my backup flotation device) will just have to keep up with me.
Maribel Torres lives, writes, and now swims in New York.
Jeanine Casler is off today.
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February 18th, 2009 at 6:08 am
You’ve got a mean backstroke now! Live the dream.
March 6th, 2009 at 11:41 pm
[…] I mentioned in my last post, swimming has always been one of my biggest fears. Since I was a little girl, I loved being by […]